Meaning & use
pyjamas
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Meanings
nounpluralBritish
A set of loose top and trousers that people wear in bed.
Grammar: Always plural: you say a pair of pyjamas, and the verb is plural — my pyjamas are clean.
Patterns
- a pair of pyjamas
- in your pyjamas
- wear pyjamas
He was still in his pyjamas when the doorbell rang.
She packed a pair of pyjamas and a toothbrush for the trip.
These pyjamas are too warm for summer nights.
nounpluralIndian
Loose trousers worn by some people in South Asia, especially by women.
Grammar: Also plural in this sense; the context usually makes clear which kind of pyjamas is meant.
Patterns
- a pair of pyjamas
- wear pyjamas
She wore a light cotton kurta with pyjamas.
The shop sells traditional pyjamas in many colours.
Word forms
| American spelling | pajamas |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pair of pyjamas
- I bought a new pair of pyjamas for the hospital stay.
- in your pyjamas
- The children ran downstairs in their pyjamas.
- pyjama bottoms
- He spilled coffee on his pyjama bottoms.
- pyjama top
- The pyjama top has small blue buttons.
- nightwear
- The store's nightwear section sells pyjamas, robes and slippers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nightclothes
- A more general, slightly formal word for anything worn in bed, including nightgowns, not just this two-piece set.
- pajamas
- Exactly the same word in American spelling; use it in US texts and for American readers.
- sleepwear
- A shop or catalog word covering all clothes for sleeping; it sounds commercial rather than personal.
Word family
- pyjama adjective
- Used before a noun, as in a pyjama top or pyjama party.
Commonly confused: pyjamas or pajamas? pyjamas or nightgown?
pyjamas vs pajamas
Just the American spelling of the same word. British writing uses pyjamas; American writing uses pajamas.
pyjamas vs nightgown
A nightgown is a single loose garment, usually for women, not a top-and-trousers set.
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly in British English?
Choose one answer.
"In his pyjamas" is the natural plural use. "A pyjama" is wrong because the word has no singular in this sense, "pyjamas is" breaks the plural agreement, and "two pyjamas" should be "two pairs of pyjamas."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pyjamas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.