seersucker

American  

[seer-suhk-er] / ˈsɪərˌsʌk ər /

noun

1. a plainwoven cotton, rayon, or linen fabric: traditionally a striped cotton with alternate stripes crinkled in the weaving.

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seersucker British  

/ ˈsɪəˌsʌkə /

noun

1. a light cotton, linen, or other fabric with a crinkled surface and often striped

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Etymology

Origin of seersucker

1715–25; < Hindi sīrsakar < Persian shīr o shakar literally, milk and sugar

Explanation

Seersucker is a lightweight, summery fabric with a puckered surface and stripes. Southern writers love a pale blue and white seersucker suit in the summertime because it pairs well with sweet tea, Spanish moss, and croquet. Seersucker comes in many colors and is occasionally checkered, although it usually has stripes over a white background. British colonists in India were the first English-speakers to wear seersucker. They also anglicized the name from the Hindi sirsakar, which comes from the Persian šir o šakar, "striped cloth," or literally, "milk and sugar," referring to the cloth's alternation of smoothness and puckered surface.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seersucker

At the start of the 1970s, before the dollar’s link to gold was severed, an ounce might have gotten you an off-the-rack seersucker at J.C.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

In its latest tennis equipment collection, the L.A.-based streetwear brand adds a few more staple pieces — like a seersucker jacket and a fully equipped racquet tote — to its growing selection of tennis wear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025

But here, in every direction, Derby-goers in fancy dresses and seersucker suits posed for selfies, fluffed the feathers in their hats and sipped mint juleps.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

Children in seersucker suits, church dresses and all manner of gender-neutral Easter best will squeal with glee.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2022

First, I pulled a striped green seersucker for my center pentagon, put a piece of strawberry-print cotton on the longest side, and kept going until I had my own perfectly mixed-up square.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry