sideburns

[sahyd-burnz]

plural noun

short whiskers extending from the hairline to below the ears and worn with an unbearded chin.
the projections of the hairline forming a border on the face in front of each ear.

Origin of sideburns

1885–90, Americanism; alteration of burnsides

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sideburns

wig, hairstyle, grass, fur, haircut, fiber, wool, strand, eyebrow, mane, stubble, goatee, burnsides, mustache, beard, shock, lock, tress, down, cut

Examples from the Web for sideburns

Contemporary Examples of sideburns

The extravagantly-coiffed cyclist had, however, shaved off his sideburns for today's ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
Arise Sir Bradley!
Tom Sykes
December 10, 2013
Just writing those last two sentences makes me feel better than a guy with sideburns describing his first Cronut on Yelp.
How Salman Rushdie’s Tweet Put Me Off Twitter
Benjamin Anastas
July 8, 2013
There are details that make it seem so far away now: the sideburns, the wide flares, the cobblestones.
How Long, How Long Did We Sing that Song?
Colum McCann
June 16, 2010

Historical Examples of sideburns

And outwardly he remained a mild little figure with sideburns, kindly tolerant toward everyone.
Gargoyles
Ben Hecht
He wore his brown mustache thick and let it grow back over his cheeks to join his sideburns.
Shaman
Robert Shea

British Dictionary definitions for sideburns

sideburns

pl n

a man's whiskers grown down either side of the face in front of the earsAlso called: sideboards, side whiskers, (Austral) sidelevers

Word Origin for sideburns

C19: variant of burnsides

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

Word Origin and History for sideburns

1880, American English, alteration of burnsides (q.v).