Meaning & use
Oxford shirt
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Meaning
nouncountable
A button-up shirt made from a thick, textured cotton cloth with a basket-like weave, often with a collar fastened by small buttons.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: an Oxford shirt, two Oxford shirts.
Patterns
- wear an Oxford shirt
- an Oxford shirt with something
He wore a blue Oxford shirt with khaki trousers to the interview.
An Oxford shirt looks smart tucked in but relaxed with the sleeves rolled up.
She borrowed her brother's white Oxford shirt and wore it as a light jacket.
Word forms
| plural | Oxford shirts |
|---|
Common combinations
- button-down Oxford shirt
- A button-down Oxford shirt suits both an office and a weekend lunch.
- crisp Oxford shirt
- He ironed a crisp Oxford shirt before the wedding.
- blue Oxford shirt
- The classic look is a pale blue Oxford shirt with jeans.
- wear an Oxford shirt
- Many students wear an Oxford shirt under a sweater.
- Oxford shirt and chinos
- An Oxford shirt and chinos is a safe outfit for a first day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- button-down
- Button-down names the collar style and can be made of other fabrics, whereas Oxford shirt names the fabric and weave.
- dress shirt
- A dress shirt is a smoother, more formal shirt, while an Oxford shirt is thicker and more casual.
- work shirt
- A work shirt stresses heavy-duty use and may be denim or twill, not necessarily Oxford cloth.
Word family
- Oxford cloth noun
- the woven cotton fabric used for the shirt
- Oxford proper noun
- the English city and university the style is named after
- shirt noun
- a garment for the upper body with sleeves and a collar
Commonly confused: Oxford shirt or Oxford shoe?
Oxford shirt vs Oxford shoe
An Oxford shoe is a lace-up shoe with the eyelets stitched under the front, not a shirt.
Practice
Which item of clothing is an Oxford shirt?
Choose one answer.
An Oxford shirt is a button-up shirt in thick woven cotton. The lace-up leather shoe is an Oxford shoe, a different item.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Oxford shirt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.