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underpants

American  
[uhn-der-pants] / ˈʌn dərˌpænts /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

  1. drawers or shorts worn under outer clothing, usually next to the skin.

underpants British  
/ ˈʌndəˌpænts /

plural noun

  1. Often shortened to: pants.  a man's undergarment covering the body from the waist or hips to the top of the thighs or knees

"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

Etymology

Origin of underpants

First recorded in 1920–25; under- + pants

Vocabulary lists containing underpants

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: under-

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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:

Half an hour after the latest Scotland debacle in Dublin, Jack Dempsey walked up the touchline at the Aviva Stadium in his underpants.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

Nearby, a tactical belt with pouches for holding gun magazines was discarded on the ground alongside several articles of designer clothing, including a pair of Christian Dior underpants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026

Joining NFL team without a good QB is scarier than showing up to Day One in your underpants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

"If Santa Claus is watching, the gladiator would like a nice new pair of blue underpants for Christmas please," he joked.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

He’d packed a sleeping bag and a small suitcase with a change of clothes, toiletries, and yes, as requested, an extra pair of underpants.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

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.

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