apron

American  

[ey-pruhn] / ˈeɪ prən /

noun

aprons plural

1. a garment covering part of the front of the body and tied at the waist, for protecting the wearer's clothing.

   a kitchen apron.

2. Anglican Church. a similar garment extending to the knees, worn by bishops, deans, and archdeans.

3. a metal plate or cover, usually vertical, for a machine, mechanism, artillery piece, etc., for protecting those who operate it.

4. a continuous conveyor belt for bulk materials, consisting of a chain of steel plates.

5. (in a lathe) a part of the carriage holding the clutches and gears moving the toolholder.

6. a paved or hard-packed area abutting an airfield's buildings and hangars, where planes are parked, loaded, or the like.

7. a broad paved area used for parking cars, as at the end of a driveway.

8. Civil Engineering.

   1. any device for protecting a surface of earth, as a riverbank, from the action of moving water.

   2. a platform to receive the water falling over a dam.

9. the part of a stage floor in front of the curtain line.

10. Furniture. skirt.

11. the outer border of a green of a golf course.

12. the part of the floor of a boxing ring that extends outside the ropes.

13. Also called skirt.  a flat, broad piece of interior window trim immediately beneath the sill.

14. a strip of metal set into masonry and bent down to cover the upper edge of flashing; counterflashing.

15. the open part of a pier for loading and unloading vessels.

16. Nautical. (in a wooden vessel) a piece reinforcing the stem on the after side and leading down to the deadwood.

17. Geology. a deposit of gravel and sand at the base of a mountain or extending from the edges of a glacier.

18. the frill of long hairs on the throat and chest of certain long-haired dogs, as the collie.

19. a structure erected around another structure, as for reinforcement or decoration.

    a high fence surrounded by a wire apron buried in the ground.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put an apron on; furnish with an apron.

2. to surround in the manner of an apron.

   The inner city is aproned by low-cost housing.

apron British  

/ ˈeɪprən /

noun

1. a protective or sometimes decorative or ceremonial garment worn over the front of the body and tied around the waist

2. the part of a stage extending in front of the curtain line; forestage

3. a hard-surfaced area in front of or around an aircraft hangar, terminal building, etc, upon which aircraft can stand

4. a continuous conveyor belt composed usually of slats linked together

5. a protective plate screening the operator of a machine, artillery piece, etc

6. a ground covering of concrete or other material used to protect the underlying earth from water erosion

7. a panel or board between a window and a skirting in a room

8. geology a sheet of sand, gravel, etc, deposited at the front of a moraine

9. golf the part of the fairway leading onto the green

10. machinery the housing for the lead screw gears of a lathe

11. another name for skirt

12. dependent on or dominated by someone, esp a mother or wife

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verb

1. (tr) to protect or provide with an apron

apron Scientific  

/ ā′prən /

1. An area covered by a blanketlike deposit of glacial, eolian, marine, or alluvial sediments, especially an area at the foot of a mountain or in front of a glacier.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• apronlike
  adjective
• unaproned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aprons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of apron

1275–1325; 1925–30 apron for def. 6; 1900–05 apron for def. 8; Middle English napron (by later misconstruing a napron as an apron ) < Middle French naperon, equivalent to nape tablecloth (< Latin mappa napkin; cf. map) + -ron diminutive suffix

Explanation

An apron is something you wear over your clothes to protect them from the mess you make while you're cooking. Some aprons tie around your waist, while others cover your entire torso. Bakers, chefs, and butchers often wear aprons to keep their clothing clean. It was once common for maids, waitresses, and women cooking at home to wear aprons, while today both men and women wear them. You can also use the word apron to describe the area where a plane is stored or refueled, or the part of a theater stage in front of the curtain. The Old French root is naperon, "small table cloth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

apron aprons

Police said Monday that several heat-stricken passengers were treated by emergency services at Frankfurt airport the previous day after their plane was held for more than an hour on the apron before take-off.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

He threw off his apron and sprinted toward it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

He filmed a video of himself giving her an apron instead.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2026

He stands there in his leather apron and it's roaring like fireworks.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

The young man wipes his hands on my apron and goes to the curtained window of my bedroom, where there’s a full view of the street and anyone who might approach the courtyard.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Thomson explained to the jury how family and staff had to wear gloves, masks, visors and aprons when they were with her mother but she said they "held her hand during her final breaths".

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

Tilit, a maker of aprons, pants and other chef and hospitality workwear, moved most of its production to Mexico and Colombia from China after the higher tariffs were imposed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

As the sun went down and a phone notification warned of more rain, the women, donning elf aprons and Santa hats, scrambled to move the boxes under cover.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025

For years, the egg has ruled the breakfast table like a sun god—worshipped, aestheticized, endlessly fiddled with by men in starched aprons and women with ring lights.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025

Maybe having a mom who also wants to dismantle the patriarchy and a dad who wears frilly aprons will do that.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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