Borrowed into English from French around 1925–30
A tutu is a short fluffy skirt that ballerinas wear, usually with tights and a leotard. Tutus are also popular with young children who wear them for fun — those tutus are often paired with superhero capes and tiaras. There are two main kinds of tutus: a classical tutu and a romantic tutu. The first has a short, stiff skirt attached to a bodice, and the second has a longer, flowing skirt. Many tutu skirts are made of tulle, a kind of netting that's stiff and lightweight, and this may be the origin of the word tutu, although neither word experts nor ballet experts are certain.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is also a costume inspired by crinoline, the stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a skirt or tutu, but whimsically reimagined using neoprene.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
The one truth about managing Celtic, or any other team with high demands, is that, if you are a winning manager, you can turn up in a tutu.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
The tutu — it’s a tulle skirt, actually – was Field’s way of presenting an alternative to sweatpants.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2025
While she was recovering from treatment, Ruble made her a tutu with miniature get-well notes attached to it.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
The crowd was blurry and colorful around her—someone’s tutu and butterfly wings, a person with a unicorn head, Benjamin Franklin, and a group of people with neon-colored wigs.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
