Meaning & use
blouse
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Meanings
nouncountable
A light shirt-style top, usually for women or girls, made of cotton, silk or a similar fabric.
Grammar: Countable: a silk blouse, three blouses.
Patterns
- a blouse with something
- a blouse and skirt
She wore a white blouse with a long gray skirt.
The blouse has tiny pearl buttons down the front.
He bought a silk blouse as a gift for his mother.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A loose upper garment that reaches the hips and is gathered at the waist, worn by workers, soldiers or artists.
Grammar: An older or traditional use, often for work clothes.
Patterns
- a painter's blouse
- a work blouse
The painter put on a loose blouse before starting work.
The peasants wore blue blouses in the old photograph.
A soldier's blouse was part of the uniform in some armies.
Word forms
| plural | blouses |
|---|
Common combinations
- silk blouse
- She ironed her silk blouse before the interview.
- button-down blouse
- A button-down blouse looks smart with trousers.
- sleeveless blouse
- He packed a sleeveless blouse for the summer trip.
- tuck in a blouse
- She tucked her blouse into a high-waisted skirt.
- cotton blouse
- A cotton blouse is cool in hot weather.
- blouse and skirt
- She wore a blouse and skirt to the office.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shirt
- Shirt is the general word and can be for any gender, whereas blouse is mostly for women and usually looser and lighter.
- top
- Top is a broad, informal word for any upper garment, while blouse names a specific dressy shirt-like style.
- tunic
- A tunic is longer and looser than a blouse, often reaching the thigh.
- smock
- A smock is a loose protective garment worn over clothes, usually for work or painting.
Word family
Commonly confused: blouse or louse?
blouse vs louse
A louse is a small biting insect, and the similar ending can cause spelling slips.
Practice
Which item of clothing is a blouse?
Choose one answer.
A blouse is a light top, usually for women, often with buttons. A coat, trousers and a belt are different garments.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blouse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.