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plimsoll

American

[plim-suhl, -sohl] / ˈplɪm səl, -soʊl /

Or plimsol,

noun

British.

a canvas shoe with a rubber sole; gym shoe; sneaker.

plimsoll British

/ ˈplɪmsəl /

noun

Also called: gym shoe. sandshoe. a light rubber-soled canvas shoe worn for various sports

"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 plimsoll

First recorded in 1905–10; perhaps so called from fancied resemblance of the sole to a Plimsoll mark

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.

"After 10 years of investigating, all they had to show was a plimsoll and cagoule that everyone wore," he said.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2023

This looks less like a piece of official merchandise and more a primary school PE plimsoll that your mum has written your name on with a knitting needle dipped in bleach.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2020

The modern athletic shoe evolved from the plimsoll shoes of 19th-century England.

From Inc • Jul. 22, 2011

There were faint, black marks of a rubber plimsoll, between the metal ribs.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

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