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

Etymology

Origin of sweater

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

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

He wears a baseball cap and an oversize brown sweater, tugging on the sleeves while he ponders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Sales of dead celebrities’ clothing are making a bigger splash than ever, from Diane Keaton’s tie to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Prada coat to Princess Diana’s sweater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

In that post, a man with brown hair and a half-smile is pictured wearing a navy blue quarter-zip sweater, hands folded behind his back.

From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026

Oliver...well, he’d put on a dark sweater and combed his hair.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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

Many wearing sweaters and thick coats, a reminder of the southern hemisphere winter from where they were coming, walked off the plane into the scorching Nigerian sun.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

The brand’s boxy tees and crew neck sweaters became omnipresent on creative-class millennials in cities like New York and San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

It was a blur of champagne, full sized In-N-Out cheeseburgers, chic ushers wearing Dior uniforms with snug grey sweaters and slacks that pooled perfectly at the leg.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Tiny pumpkins hung from brass lanterns, and even the automats wore sweaters and scarves.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton