pants
Americannoun
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underpants, especially for women and children; panties.
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British. men's underpants, especially long drawers.
idioms
plural noun
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an undergarment reaching from the waist to the thighs or knees
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Also called: trousers. a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs
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informal to bore extremely
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informal to scare extremely
adjective
Usage
What is a basic definition of pants? Pants are an article of clothing that extends from the waist to around the ankles and fits around each leg. Also known as trousers, pants are worn by people of all genders and ages. As opposed to a dress or a skirt, pants are divided down the middle and have openings for each leg. The fabric of pants wrap around each leg and usually extends to the ankles or at least past the knees. A single item of this clothing is called “a pair of pants” and multiple items are called “pairs of pants.” This article of clothing is never referred to as a “pant.”Pants is a general term for this type of clothing and is further divided into other specific kinds of pants, depending on fabric and cut. Jeans are pants made out of denim or corduroy, while leggings are close-fitting pants, often made out of a stretchy material like spandex. An article of clothing that is identical to pants but stops at or before the knee is referred to as a pair of shorts.
- Used in a sentence: She bought three new pairs of pants to wear with her new sweater.
Etymology
Origin of pants
1830–40; short for pantaloons
Explanation
In the UK, pants are undergarments or underwear. If you're from the U.S. or Canada, pants are the clothes you wear over your underwear, pulling them on one long leg at a time. In most English-speaking countries, the garments you wear under your clothing are known as undies, underpants, or panties, but in the UK, they're pants. If you ask your British friend to show you their new pants, they may look shocked — but anyone from North America will know you mean jeans or trousers. Pants was a 19th-century shortened version of pantaloons, named after a character in Italian comedies of the 1500s who wore tight trousers.
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 second suspect was said to be wearing an army green baseball cap, camo jacket and army green camo cargo pants.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
The company earlier this year suffered backlash against a new lineup of pants deemed by some consumers to be see-through.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
As Brother Vellies founder Aurora James says, “Even if you just put on a wonderful white T-shirt and some pants and some diamonds—I mean, that’s perfect.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
"The guys went in their pants," he said.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
I wipe my wet palms on my pants, take a deep breath, and try to drum up confidence I don’t have.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
