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trousers

American  
[trou-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 pantsinformal 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.

In December, she posted a TikTok showing off an oversize crew neck and pajama-like black trousers, playfully captioned “putting the casual in business casual.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Blessing, who is also 17, said it was not just skirts - you could also be picked on for trousers that were too tight.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

"Even though it's not that perfect, there are still parts of it that surprised me," such as folding a pair of trousers "quite well", she said.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Willy Chavarria sunglasses on, textured Ferragamo trousers glittering with each camera flash, she strides through without pausing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

The housekeeper had changed out of her usual buckled shoes and voluminous floral-print dress, and into a pair of sturdy boots and a borrowed shirt and trousers from one of the farmhands.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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