garter
noun
an article of clothing for holding up a stocking or sock, usually an elastic band around the leg or an elastic strap hanging from a girdle or other undergarment.
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garter
American
[gahr-ter]
/ ˈgɑr tər /
noun
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garters
plural
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British, sock suspender, suspender. an article of clothing for holding up a stocking or sock, usually an elastic band around the leg or an elastic strap hanging from a girdle or other undergarment.
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a similar band worn to hold up a shirt sleeve.
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a leather strap for passing through a loop at the back of a boot and buckling around the leg to keep the boot from slipping.
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British.
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the badge of the Order of the Garter.
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membership in the Order.
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(initial capital letter) the Order itself.
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(usually initial capital letter) a member of the Order.
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verb (used with object)
garter
1
British
/ ˈɡɑːtə /
noun
-
a band, usually of elastic, worn round the arm or leg to hold up a shirtsleeve, sock, or stocking
-
-
an elastic strap attached to a belt or corset having a fastener at the end, for holding up women's stockings
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): suspender. a similar fastener attached to a garter belt worn by men in order to support socks
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See gut
verb
Garter
2
British
/ ˈɡɑːtə /
noun
-
(sometimes not capital)
-
the badge of this Order
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membership of this Order
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of garter
1300–50; Middle English < Old North French gartier, derivative of garet the bend of the knee < Celtic; compare Welsh gar shank, Breton gâr leg
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When mice invaded his house, he didn’t poison them but enlisted the help of a garter snake he found outside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
The question for the giant garter snake’s future lies in whether it was saved in time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025
Lacking Spotify, they decided to pass the time by undertaking “an enumeration and actual count” of road-killed animals—a battered weasel here, a flattened garter snake there.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
For the first time, researchers — employing an innovative twist on the mirror test — have found evidence that garter snakes can distinguish themselves from others, using not sight but scent.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
Glancing up at me and Charlie, Tansy said, “Go get a garter snake. Quick.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The statue, to be sculpted by Martin Jennings, shows the late Queen in her younger years, in the ceremonial robes of the Order of Garter.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
The honours of Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order will also be removed - and he will no longer have the right to be called His Royal Highness.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
Andrew will also lose his Order of the Garter, the most senior knighthood in the British realm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
He is also giving up membership of the Order of the Garter - the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025
“I want to have an Order of Chivalry, like the Order of the Garter, which goes about fighting against Might Would you like to be one of those?”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Every star who has taken up the character’s corset and garters since has followed his lead.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The feminine silhouette was defined by ruffles, bustles and slip dresses, complemented by men’s vests fitted with garters, oversized cloth shirts and masculine trousers.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
Men could wear blouses and shirts on the outside, while women could do away with their corsets, stockings, and garters.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 9, 2024
Where in the world besides Far Rockaway would anyone think to dress for the beach as Nikki Sneakers had, in calf-high black leather boots, a black cover-up and ornamental black leather garters?
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2012
A man with garters on his arms played a piano, and a woman with gloves that came up past her elbows kept hurrying over to light Dad’s cigarettes.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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