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hosiery

American  
[hoh-zhuh-ree] / ˈhoʊ ʒə ri /

noun

  1. stockings or socks of any kind.

  2. the business of a hosier.

hosiery British  
/ ˈhəʊzɪərɪ /

noun

  1. stockings, socks, and knitted underclothing collectively

"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 hosiery

First recorded in 1780–90; hosier + -y 3

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.

Landing on Netflix’s title page for “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” automatically plays a clip of the titular psychopath wearing a dress, wig and hosiery while nimbly dancing to a merry ragtime tune.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2025

After graduation, through the retail workers union, she had jobs selling hosiery and shoes.

From New York Times • May 17, 2024

Other people made nails, knit hosiery, or made lace.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

A year in and the Shriers started fielding requests for hosiery to go with heels, so they hand-dyed stockings in vivid colorways.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2022

Like Duke himself, his native town had long since expanded far beyond cigarette production, turning to millwork first to supply the tobacco industry with cotton bags, and later expanding to manufacture hosiery and other garments.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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.