seamstress

American  

[seem-stris, sem-] / ˈsim strɪs, ˈsɛm- /

noun

• seamstresses
  plural

1. a woman whose occupation is sewing.

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seamstress British  

/ ˈsɛmpstrɪs, ˈsɛmstrɪs /

noun

1. a woman who sews and makes clothes, esp professionally

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Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seamstresses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seamstress

First recorded in 1605–15; seamst(e)r + -ess

Explanation

A seamstress is a person whose job involves sewing clothing. You could be a seamstress if you hem your own pants, but most seamstresses work in factories sewing garments using sewing machines. Traditionally, a seamstress was a woman who sewed seams in clothes using a machine, or occasionally by hand. Seamstresses weren't considered as skilled as a dressmaker, who makes custom clothing, or a tailor, who alters clothes to fit a specific person. Each of these titles is a distinct job, but they are commonly used interchangeably. Some people use the newer, unisex term sewist instead of seamstress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seamstress seamstresses

As more women took traditional corporate jobs outside the home, schools eliminated home-economics programs, which were a steppingstone to becoming a professional tailor or seamstress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Originally from a poor and mountainous district of Bamiyan, Rahesh worked for five years in construction in Iran, where his wife Marzia was a seamstress.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

Mia has also identified a seamstress who made persistent errors in the original work.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

Ms Kaur, who lived in Hercules in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked for two decades as a sari-store seamstress and paid her taxes.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025

She had raised six children by herself as a seamstress after her husband’s death.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Time and again, the 11th-Century seamstresses who created it - who are believed to have been in England, probably Canterbury - were so skilled that the story they are telling looks like it's in 3D.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he spent his teenage years in the U.S., growing up in a community of seamstresses and store owners who always found reasons to do more rather than less.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

The Kerns struck the deal last June for an initial investment of 25 million euros, while also committing to keeping the brand in Italy and rehiring about 200 employees, including the seamstresses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

Fannie heard seamstresses in Chicago and New York City had banded together and demanded higher pay and safer working conditions.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell