sleeve

American  

[sleev] / sliv /

noun

• sleeves
  plural

1. the part of a garment that covers the arm, varying in form and length but commonly tubular.

2. a protective container, usually thin and flexible with an opening on one side for insertion or removal of an item, as a paper storage envelope for a phonograph record, or a padded case for a tablet or other electronic device: a 24-sleeve CD wallet.

   a form-fitting laptop sleeve;

   a 24-sleeve CD wallet.

3. a pliable tubular or rectangular container for crackers, cookies, and the like that is typically opened at one end to remove individual servings: The largest box has four sleeves of saltines inside.

   I ate a whole sleeve of shortbreads before I realized how many calories that is!

   The largest box has four sleeves of saltines inside.

4. Machinery. a tubular piece, as of metal, fitting over a rod or the like.

5. a pattern of tattoos that covers the arm from shoulder to wrist in one integrated piece of tattoo art.

   I got my first tattoo when I turned 18, and by 28 I had full sleeves on both arms.

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verb (used with object)

sleeved, sleeving

1. to furnish with sleeves.

2. Machinery. to fit with a sleeve; join or fasten by means of a sleeve.

idioms

1. have something up one's sleeve, to have a secret plan, scheme, opinion, or the like.

   I could tell by her sly look that she had something up her sleeve.

2. laugh up / in one's sleeve, to be secretly amused or contemptuous; laugh inwardly.

   to laugh up one's sleeve at someone's affectations.

sleeve British  

/ sliːv /

noun

1. the part of a garment covering the arm

2. a tubular piece that is forced or shrunk into a cylindrical bore to reduce the diameter of the bore or to line it with a different material; liner

3. a tube fitted externally over two cylindrical parts in order to join them; bush

4. US name: jacket.  a flat cardboard or plastic container to protect a gramophone record

5. to prepare oneself for work, a fight, etc

6. secretly ready

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a sleeve or sleeves

sleeve More Idioms  

1. see card up one's sleeve; laugh up one's sleeve; roll up one's sleeves; wear one's heart on one's sleeve.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sleeveless
  adjective
• sleevelike
  adjective
• unsleeved
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sleeves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sleeve

First recorded before 950; Middle English sleve, slieve, Old English slēfe (Anglian), slīefe; akin to Dutch sloof “apron”

Explanation

The part of your clothing that covers your arm (or part of your arm) is a sleeve. Some t-shirts have long sleeves, others have short sleeves, and your tank top doesn't have any sleeves at all. On a hot day, you might roll up the sleeves of your shirt, or you might change into one with short sleeves (or no sleeves at all, also known as sleeveless). Another kind of sleeve is a container or protective covering, like a record sleeve or a sleeve of crackers. If you have something "up your sleeve," it means you're hiding something to use later in a surprising way.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sleeve sleeves sleeved sleeving

The trick up JetZero’s sleeve is that its radical, new aircraft isn’t actually that new at all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

So know what you actually own in the bond sleeve.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Kevin Keegan "carried the love of the game on his sleeve" as he paid a fond tribute to his former rival.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The engine may not ultimately come to fruition, but in that case we'll have other cards up our sleeve.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

I grabbed the hem of my sleeve and yanked with my other hand, but it would not rip.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

"But as it is coming for those who came before me, our elders and ancestors, we know how to roll up our sleeves and fight. So that's what we're gonna do."

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Grandparents have to roll up their sleeves and help with activities, schedules and problem-solving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“They look tough and unisex to me, with mild expressions, beautiful clothes, tights, ruffles and sleeves, plus a firearm. It’s a great symbol for being a warrior, especially as a small business owner.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Up front, it was the ideal dry-goods shop: good boxes of fussy pasta and cavatappi, sleeves of biscotti, plastic-wrapped anise pizzelle, a counter where you could order hulking sandwiches and tiny cups of coffee.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

In it, he’s dressed in crisp white short sleeves, seated on the edge of his cot, misty-eyed and grinning as he holds up the ultrasound Mom sent him in the mail.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Not that he’s got a dearth of it; he’s been creating nearly a “postcard” a day for 30 years, and now has thousands of carefully curated pieces in archival sleeved books.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

The doll is dressed is a puff sleeved frock adorned with butterflies and flowers in yellow and blue - colours associated with Down’s syndrome awareness.

From Reuters ● Apr. 25, 2023

"I mostly wear jumpers and long sleeved blouses or longer dresses from there," the 23-year-old says.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2023

The Nuggets recently tweeted a video of Murray draining a corner 3, then slow-motion prancing down the baseline with a big smile and stepping deliberately so as not to stress his sleeved left knee.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2021

Morrie wore a long- sleeved blue shirt—he was almost always chilly, even when it was ninety degrees outside—but Koppel removed his jacket and did the interview in shirt and tie.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

At the Safa Recycling and Material Processing company, workers shovel wiring from electronics and electrical cables into a $220,000 grinding machine that shreds copper cables and separates them from their plastic sleeving.

From Nature ● Nov. 29, 2016

When these wires are adjacent to ground or battery wires they may be protected by sleeving, so as to prevent crosses.

From Cyclopedia of Telephony and Telegraphy, Vol. 2 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by McMeen, Samuel