crotch

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The part of the body where the legs join the trunk, or the matching seam area of trousers or underwear.

   Grammar: Usually singular: the crotch of the trousers.

   Patterns

   • the crotch of something

   The seam in the crotch of my jeans split when I climbed the fence.

   The shorts rubbed uncomfortably at the crotch during the long hike.

   These trousers are too tight in the crotch.

2. 2nouncountable

   A place where a tree trunk divides into two branches, or any similar fork.

   Grammar: Countable: the crotch of a tree.

   Patterns

   • the crotch of a tree

   The children built a platform in the crotch of the old oak.

   A bird had nested in the crotch of the maple.

   He wedged the pole into the crotch of the branch.

Word forms

Common combinations

crotch of a tree

The cat was stuck in the crotch of a tree.

crotch seam

The tailor reinforced the crotch seam of the trousers.

low crotch

These pants have a low crotch, which is a popular style.

crotch of the pants

The crotch of the pants wore thin first.

Synonyms and how they differ

groin

Groin names the area where the thigh meets the abdomen and is the usual medical term, while crotch is more everyday and also refers to clothing.

fork

Fork is a neutral word for a split in a tree or road, and it avoids any bodily reference that crotch carries.

inseam

Inseam is a clothing term for the inner leg seam and does not name the body area.

Word family

crotches noun

plural of crotch

crotchless adjective

made without a covering at the crotch

Commonly confused: crotch or croch? crotch or crouch?

Practice

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