trousers
Americannoun
-
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.
plural noun
-
a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs
-
US equivalent: wear the pants. informal to have control, esp in a marriage
Other Word Forms
- trousered adjective
- trouserless adjective
Etymology
Origin of trousers
1585–95; trouse (variant of trews ) + (draw)ers (in the sense “undergarment with legs”)
Compare meaning
How does trousers compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
He was wearing a grey hoodie, black trousers, and a balaclava.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
Walkers must therefore roll up their trousers and wade across the river within an hour either side of low tide.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
It’s high season in Palm Beach, Fla., and for some bold male dressers, that means awfully bright trousers, worn with a wink.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
Balfe: To be able to walk around in proper wet weather gear and trousers and be able to go to the bathroom — not to be TMI, but it was so good.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
Henry’s trousers were spattered with drops the size of quarters, too red to be blood, as if he’d had a paintbrush slung at him.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
