Meaning & use
collared shirt
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A shirt with a collar, especially one worn for work or formal occasions.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a collared shirt', 'two collared shirts'.
Patterns
- wear a collared shirt
- a collared shirt and tie
- in a collared shirt
The restaurant asks its waiters to wear a white collared shirt.
He changed out of his T-shirt into a collared shirt before the interview.
Most of the men at the wedding wore dark collared shirts.
nouncountable
A shirt of this kind as a dress code, especially in schools or workplaces.
Grammar: Often used in rules and signs: 'collared shirts required'.
Patterns
- collared shirts required
- no collared shirt, no service
The club has a simple rule: collared shirts only.
The sign on the door said collared shirts required, so we went home to change.
Word forms
| plural | collared shirts |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a collared shirt
- Please wear a collared shirt to the meeting tomorrow.
- a crisp collared shirt
- He arrived in a crisp collared shirt and polished shoes.
- a button-down collared shirt
- She prefers a button-down collared shirt to a plain one.
- collared shirts required
- The notice read 'collared shirts required' at all times.
- a long-sleeved collared shirt
- For winter, buy a long-sleeved collared shirt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dress shirt
- A dress shirt is a formal collared shirt worn with a tie or suit; 'collared shirt' is the wider, plainer term.
- button-down
- A button-down is a collared shirt whose collar points button to the shirt; it is one specific type of collared shirt.
- polo shirt
- A polo shirt has a soft collar and short sleeves and is more casual than most collared shirts.
Opposites
Word family
- collar noun
- The band of fabric around the neck of a shirt.
- collarless adjective
- Having no collar, as many T-shirts do.
Commonly confused: collared shirt or collar shirt? collared shirt or dress shirt?
collared shirt vs collar shirt
'Collar shirt' is not the usual phrase; the standard term is 'collared shirt', with -ed.
collared shirt vs dress shirt
A dress shirt is a formal collared shirt, often white and worn with a tie; not every collared shirt is a dress shirt.
Practice
The office dress code says employees must wear a ___ shirt.
Choose one answer.
'Collared' is the adjective describing a shirt that has a collar. 'Collar' is the noun for the part itself, so 'a collar shirt' is not the usual English phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “collared shirt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.