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underwear

American  
[uhn-der-wair] / ˈʌn dərˌwɛər /

noun

  1. clothing worn worn next to the skin under outer clothes.

underwear British  
/ ˈʌndəˌwɛə /

noun

  1. Also called: underclothes.  clothing worn under the outer garments, usually next to the skin

"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 underwear

First recorded in 1870–75; under- + wear

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.

“Until you’ve worn another person’s underwear going to do a count, you don’t know what it’s really like.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

At least that’s what Rubino says; she’s putting a special stuffed toy in one basket she’s fashioning, alongside the socks and underwear.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

"We also found some underwear, that was Marks & Spencer's underwear, and from the label we are able to say that it was a large size," said Det Supt Bell.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Lil Nas X was hospitalized and arrested in August after he was seen strolling in only his underwear and white boots through Studio City.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

They’re all staring at me oddly, as though wondering where I got my underwear.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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.