Meaning & use
girth size
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The measurement around the thickest part of something, especially a person's body, an animal, or a tree.
Grammar: Used with words like measure or check: measure your girth size. It can also stand alone: what is your girth size?
Patterns
- measure your girth size
- check the girth size of something
- a girth size of 80 centimeters
The tailor asked me to measure my girth size before making the jacket.
You can check the girth size of the tree by wrapping a tape around its trunk.
Her girth size has changed since she started training for the marathon.
nouncountablespecialist
The distance around the body of a horse just behind the front legs, used when choosing a saddle or girth strap.
Grammar: Often used in horse-riding contexts: the girth size of the pony. It can be shortened to girth in speech.
Patterns
- the girth size of a horse
- a girth size of 48 inches
- match the girth size to the saddle
Before buying the saddle, the rider measured the horse's girth size.
A girth size that is too small can make the horse uncomfortable.
The saddler noted the girth size in his record book.
Word forms
| plural | girth sizes |
|---|
Common combinations
- measure your girth size
- The nurse asked him to measure his girth size for the health record.
- girth size chart
- Look at the girth size chart to find the right wetsuit.
- increase in girth size
- The old oak showed a steady increase in girth size over ten years.
- girth size measurement
- Write down the girth size measurement in centimeters.
- check the girth size
- Always check the girth size before you order a saddle online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- circumference
- More formal and used for circles and round objects; girth size is more common for bodies and animals.
- waist measurement
- Refers only to the waist, while girth size can describe any thick part of the body.
- girth
- Shorter and often used alone in horse riding; girth size adds the idea of a specific measurement.
Word family
Commonly confused: girth size or birth size? girth size or growth size?
girth size vs birth size
Birth size means how big a baby is when born; girth size is the measurement around a body or object.
girth size vs growth size
Growth size is not a common phrase; growth refers to the process of getting bigger, not a measurement around something.
Practice
The saddler asked the rider to check the horse's ______ before fitting the new saddle.
Choose one answer.
Girth size is the measurement around a horse's body behind the front legs, which is needed for saddle fitting. Birth size refers to a baby at birth, growth size is not a standard phrase, and waist size is used for people, not horses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “girth size”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.