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hemline

American  
[hem-lahyn] / ˈhɛmˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. the bottom edge of a coat, dress, skirt, etc.

  2. the level of this edge as expressed in inches from the floor.

    an 18-inch hemline.
hemline British  
/ ˈhɛmˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. the level to which the hem of a skirt or dress hangs; hem

    knee-length hemlines
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hemline

First recorded in 1920–25; hem 1 + line 1

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.

Rose Byrne, who is up for best actress for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, wore a long cream and silver dress with a ruffled hemline.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

In case anyone were tempted to view "Queen Charlotte" as biographically accurate, the following disclaimer flutters across our screens before we glimpse the first lacy hemline.

From Salon • May 6, 2023

A very formal cocktail dress might do if the hemline is at or below the knee.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2022

Goolagong Cawley’s white dress had buttons all the way down the front and, most notably, a scalloped hemline.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2021

She wore a short green flapper dress fringed at the hemline.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.