ice-cream suit

American

noun

a man's lightweight summer suit of white or a finely striped or solid pastel color.

Etymology

Origin of ice-cream suit

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

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.

The exhibit has a set of Staple Singers stage wear—the three sisters’ striking matching dresses and “Pops” Staples’s ice-cream suit and iconic guitar.

From The Wall Street Journal

As President George W. Bush revealed his choice in a formal White House ceremony, John and Jane Roberts struggled to simultaneously ignore and control the rambunctious boy in the short-pants ice-cream suit.

From Washington Post

The chaplain, fresh from the navy, was promised a milk-white palfrey for his especial use, if he would wear his ice-cream suit for the occasion.

From Project Gutenberg

Harry Truman walked in, wearing an ice-cream suit that only a haberdasher from Missouri would choose for the occasion�and brought the dispirited convention cheering to its feet.

From Time Magazine Archive

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