Meaning & use
smock
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A loose, light coat or overall worn over ordinary clothes to protect them from dirt, paint or stains.
Grammar: Has a plural: smocks.
Patterns
- a smock over something
The painter wore a smock splattered with blue and yellow.
Children put on smocks before starting the clay lesson.
The dentist's assistant slipped a clean smock over her uniform.
nouncountable
A wide, loose top or dress, often gathered at the chest with decorative stitching.
Grammar: Used in fashion, often in the phrase smock dress.
Patterns
- a smock dress
She wore a cotton smock embroidered with tiny flowers.
The shop sells a white smock dress for summer.
A long smock hid her baking apron.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A long, loose shirt worn by farm workers in earlier centuries, often with decorative stitching on the front.
Grammar: Historical term; also called a smock-frock.
Patterns
- a farmer's smock
The old farmer wore a linen smock to the market.
The museum displays a shepherd's smock from the 1800s.
Word forms
| plural | smocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- artist's smock
- The artist's smock was stiff with dried paint.
- wear a smock
- Students must wear a smock in the art room.
- cotton smock
- She packed a light cotton smock for the beach.
- smock dress
- The girl twirled in a pink smock dress.
- paint-stained smock
- He hung his paint-stained smock on the hook.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overall
- Overall in British English can mean a loose coat worn over clothes at work, which is close to a smock, while in American English overalls are bib trousers.
- apron
- An apron covers the front of the body only, whereas a smock covers arms and back as well.
- tunic
- Tunic is a loose garment of a plain cut that may be worn on its own as part of a uniform or as a top.
- pinafore
- Pinafore is a sleeveless dress or apron worn over other clothes, mostly in British English.
Word family
Commonly confused: smock or smog?
smock vs smog
Smog is polluted air mixed with fog; it only looks similar to smock.
Practice
The children wore a ______ over their clothes to keep them clean during the art lesson.
Choose one answer.
A smock is a loose protective garment worn over other clothes. A scarf, cardigan or blazer is not designed to protect clothing from paint.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.