hoop skirt
- a woman's skirt made to stand out and drape in a stiff bell-like shape from the waist by an undergarment framework of flexible hoops connected by tapes.
- the framework for such a skirt.
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Origin of hoop skirt
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Also called hoop.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hoop skirt
Contemporary Examples
The French designer presented a hoop-skirt gown that was turned up to reveal four little girls crouching underneath.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s Hoop Skirt Trick, Vanity Fair's Best Dressed CompetitionThe Fashion Beast Team
January 24, 2013
Historical Examples
In 1860-65, the hoop-skirt held sway, and the wasp waist was typical of beauty.
The ArenaVarious
My hoop-skirt caught on one of the posts, and I fell sprawling into the yard.
Behind the ScenesElizabeth Keckley
In one tent was a side-saddle, a neat pair of gaiters, and a hoop-skirt.
Camp-Fire and Cotton-FieldThomas W. Knox
In one of her trunks, broken open by pilferers of the attacking party, a hoop-skirt was found.
Dixie After the WarMyrta Lockett Avary
I see a pitcher iv wan th' other day with nawthin' on her but a basket of cocoanuts an' a hoop-skirt.
Mr. Dooley in Peace and in WarFinley Peter Dunne