wigan
noun
a stiff, canvaslike fabric for stiffening parts of garments.
wigan
1 American
[wig-uhn]
/ ˈwɪg ən /
noun
Wigan
2
American
[wig-uhn]
/ ˈwɪg ən /
noun
Wigan
British
/ ˈwɪɡən /
noun
-
an industrial town in NW England, in Wigan unitary authority, Greater Manchester: former coal-mining centre. Pop: 81 203 (2001)
-
a unitary authority in NW England, in Greater Manchester. Pop: 303 800 (2003 est). Area: 199 sq km (77 sq miles)
Etymology
Origin of wigan
1870–75; after Wigan, where originally produced
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:
Turn up and baste solid, and fasten turn up, to wigan, same as before.
From The Copeland Method A Complete Manual for Cleaning, Repairing, Altering and Pressing All Kinds of Garments for Men and Women, at Home or for Busines by Vanness Copeland
Eckersley's 27th try of the season sent Wigan further ahead as he showed great intelligence to race through, while Keighran matched his fine work with the boot with a long-range run-in of his own.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Operator Northern said there would be "major disruption", with "all lines blocked" by an "incident between Wigan Wallgate and Southport".
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
His seat will always be reserved at Wigan, and he will be dearly missed but certainly not forgotten.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“At that time,” he wrote in “The Road to Wigan Pier,” his classic about class and economics, “there was, among the young, a curious cult of hatred of ‘old men.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The same name is found at Wigan, where the duty of the “gate-waiters or leave-lookers” was to see that all “foreigners” paid their fines for licence to reside and trade in the town.
From The Influence and Development of English Gilds As Illustrated by the History of the Craft Gilds of Shrewsbury by Francis Aiden Hibbert
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.
