sweater

American  

[swet-er] / ˈswɛt ər /

noun

• sweaters
  plural

1. a knitted jacket or jersey, in pullover or cardigan style, with or without sleeves.

2. a person or thing that sweats.

3. an employer who underpays and overworks employees.

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adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to a sweater.

   sweater yarn; sweater fashions.

2. made like a sweater.

   a sweater dress.

sweater British  

/ ˈswɛtə /

noun

1. 1. a garment made of knitted or crocheted material covering the upper part of the body, esp a heavy one worn for warmth

   2. ( as modifier )

      a sweater dress

2. a person or thing that sweats

3. an employer who overworks and underpays his employees

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sweaters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sweater

1520–30 sweater for def. 2; 1880–85 sweater for def. 1; sweat + -er ¹

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Explanation

A sweater is a knitted piece of clothing that covers the top part of your body. Some people have ugly Christmas sweater contests—and if you wear your neon green reindeer sweater covered with pom-poms, you just might win! In Britain it's a jumper, but in most of North America, it's a sweater. You put on a sweater either by pulling it over your head (if it's a pullover), or by putting your arms in the sleeves and shrugging it onto your shoulders (if it's a cardigan). As you might have guessed, sweater comes from sweat—the earliest sweaters were worn by rowers, and were intended "to produce sweating and reduce weight."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweater sweaters

Princess Diana's sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby's in New York in 2023.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Next year, he’ll give it another shot with a sweater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

If Charles wore a particular sweater, you’d best not wear one that looked similar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

She’s in a navy sweater; I’m starting to envy her knitwear.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

Between the darker colors, another cream sweater appeared— toward the front of the line.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

With unruly hair, round glasses, an affable demeanor and a taste for V-neck sweaters, Amodei is worlds away from the corporate executive archetype -- and seems to be motivated by something his peers are not.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Knitting is no longer limited to making familiar items such as sweaters, hats, and blankets.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

The few hundred in attendance spanned the full spectrum of AfD voters: young men in black bomber jackets and Lonsdale sweaters, elderly couples, barefooted hippies with braided beards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

When, in 1978, he decided to make bold-colored cashmere sweaters for women, a dye expert said he was “crazy to dye cashmere in these colors.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Hitler Youth sprang into action, collecting money, winter coats, wool sweaters, gloves, hats, socks, and blankets.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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