suspender
Americannoun
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suspenders
plural
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especially British, braces. Usually suspenders. adjustable straps or bands worn over the shoulders with the ends buttoned or clipped to the waistband of a pair of trousers or a skirt to support it.
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British. garter.
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a hanging cable or chain in a suspension bridge connecting the deck with the suspension cable or chain.
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a person or thing that suspends.
noun
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(often plural)
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an elastic strap attached to a belt or corset having a fastener at the end, for holding up women's stockings
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US and Canadian equivalent: garter. a similar fastener attached to a garter worn by men in order to support socks
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): braces. (plural) a pair of straps worn over the shoulders by men for holding up the trousers
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a person or thing that suspends, such as one of the vertical cables that carries the deck in a suspension bridge
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of suspender
1515–25; 1800–10, suspender for def. 1; suspend + -er 1
Explanation
A suspender is a strap that holds your pants up. If your jeans are too big for you, you might try wearing some colorful suspenders. Suspenders almost always come in a pair. They are an alternative to a belt—instead of looping around your waist, suspenders are worn over your shoulders, clipping to the waistband of your pants at the front and the back. Suspenders is an American English word, coined in the early 19th century from the verb suspend, "to hang."
Vocabulary lists containing suspender
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.
See Examples For:
Badu wore a black silk duchess gown with white satin buttons, sportcoat and suspender skirt.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2021
He pops open the flip phone stored in the shirt pocket between his suspender straps and calls the number for a voicemail set up specifically for this purpose.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 19, 2015
The fashion designer Thom Browne, no stranger to the outer reaches of fantasy, put the butlers in androgynous black-tie uniforms with shorts, suspender socks and wildly exaggerated cuffs.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2013
The project, which agency officials estimated would create 3,600 jobs, is daunting in its magnitude: the suspender ropes, if placed end to end, would be 32 miles long.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2011
West, Ryan Dean: A discovery of true Zen-like perfection, I got a leopard-spotted caveman-loincloth kind of thing that had one suspender strap that tied in a knot over the shoulder.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
Often duded up in a cowboy hat and suspenders, Eatherly had a knack for marketing and proved to be an exceptional conman.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
I certainly stood out among the perfectly creased khaki pants and palm combs and top-buttoned flannels contrasted with my clueless bowl haircut and Ninja Turtle suspenders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Its Intel profits alone would make Gordon Gekko hang up his suspenders.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Looped into the traction and stability systems and the smartest brakes on the planet, the Turbo S’s high-voltage suspenders represent a major advance in client preservation technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
This simpler method worked better than the suspenders, but not enough better to matter.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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