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trousers

American  
[trau-zerz] / ˈtraʊ zərz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)
  1. Also called pants. Sometimes a usually loose-fitting outer garment for the lower part of the body, having individual leg portions that reach typically to the ankle but sometimes to any of various other points from the upper leg down.

  2. pantalets.


trousers British  
/ ˈtraʊzəz /

plural noun

  1. a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs

  2. US equivalent: wear the pants. informal to have control, esp in a marriage

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of trousers

1585–95; trouse (variant of trews ) + (draw)ers (in the sense “undergarment with legs”)


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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:

Comically, he hid the sandpaper inside his trousers.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Zips were used to modulate the length of skirts, they ran across leather jackets and down a flared blue pair of trousers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

To access the trees, he had to climb over a barbed wire fence and use a small step, joking that he did not want to rip his trousers.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Girls in Northern Ireland are to be given the legal right to wear trousers in school if they wish to do so.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

After a bit of practice walking in trousers, which she rather liked once she got used to it, she ventured on deck.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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