sleeve

[ sleev ]

/ sliv /

noun

the part of a garment that covers the arm, varying in form and length but commonly tubular.

an envelope, usually of paper, for protecting a phonograph record.

Machinery. a tubular piece, as of metal, fitting over a rod or the like.

verb (used with object), sleeved, sleev·ing.

to furnish with sleeves.

Machinery. to fit with a sleeve; join or fasten by means of a sleeve.

Nearby words

sleepy, sleepy hollow chair, sleepyhead, sleet, sleety, sleeve, sleeve board, sleeve coupling, sleeve dog, sleeve link, sleeve notes

Idioms

have something up one's sleeve, to have a secret plan, scheme, opinion, or the like: I could tell by her sly look that she had something up her sleeve.

laugh up/in one's sleeve, to be secretly amused or contemptuous; laugh inwardly: to laugh up one's sleeve at someone's affectations.

Origin of sleeve

before 950; Middle English sleve, Old English slēfe (Anglian), slīefe; akin to Dutch sloof apron

Related forms

sleeve·like, adjectiveun·sleeved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sleeve

Borrowing language from his father, Paul said he does not wear his religion “on my sleeve.”
Is Rand Paul Christian Enough for the GOP?|Olivia Nuzzi|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prince Harry has a reputation for wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Harry's Heartbreaking Empathy For Orphaned Brazilian Children|Tom Sykes|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think with Jason, he really does wear his heart on his sleeve.
‘True Blood’ Star Ryan Kwanten Looks Back on Jason Stackhouse’s Craziest Scenes|Kevin Fallon|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
We Can Create Matter from Light?!|Matthew R. Francis|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

On this trip, Rodman put his heart on his sleeve—and his foot in his mouth—and said he “loves” Kim.
Ping-Pong Diplomacy Not An Option? Try Ding-Dong Diplomacy|Kevin Bleyer|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He felt a tug at his sleeve and heard the gruff voice of the cabby.
The Web of the Golden Spider|Frederick Orin Bartlett
Sadie McKibben did see the movement his moving did make on my sleeve.
The Story of Opal|Opal Whiteley
This fortnight past I have been laughing in my sleeve, thinking to myself, 'How happy they are going to be!'
Father Goriot|Honore de Balzac
So he put a pin on his sleeve to remind him of it and to-night he brought me a whole lot of it.
Village Life in America 1852-1872|Caroline Cowles Richards
For Louis wiped his beard on his sleeve and lay back hopelessly drunk.
Lords of the North|A. C. Laut

British Dictionary definitions for sleeve

sleeve

/ (sliːv) /

noun

the part of a garment covering the arm

a tubular piece that is forced or shrunk into a cylindrical bore to reduce the diameter of the bore or to line it with a different material; liner

a tube fitted externally over two cylindrical parts in order to join them; bush

a flat cardboard or plastic container to protect a gramophone recordUS name: jacket

roll up one's sleeves to prepare oneself for work, a fight, etc

up one's sleeve secretly ready

verb

(tr) to provide with a sleeve or sleeves

Derived Forms

sleeveless, adjectivesleevelike, adjective

Word Origin for sleeve

Old English slīf, slēf; related to Dutch sloof apron

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

Idioms and Phrases with sleeve

sleeve

see card up one's sleeve; laugh up one's sleeve; roll up one's sleeves; wear one's heart on one's sleeve.