sweater

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A knitted piece of clothing for the upper body, usually made of wool or cotton, worn for warmth.

   Grammar: Countable: a sweater, two sweaters. In British English, the usual word is 'jumper'.

   Patterns

   • wear a sweater
   • put on a sweater
   • a woolen sweater

   She wore a thick sweater because it was cold outside.

   He bought a new sweater for the winter.

   I always keep a sweater in my office in case it gets chilly.

2. 2nouncountable

   A person or thing that sweats, especially a horse in a race.

   Grammar: Countable; this sense is less common and mostly used in specific contexts.

   Patterns

   • a heavy sweater
   • a sweater in a race

   The horse was a heavy sweater after the race.

   He's a sweater; he always needs a towel after exercising.

Word forms

Common combinations

wool sweater

He wore a wool sweater to the party.

knit sweater

She made a knit sweater for her grandson.

sweater vest

He put on a sweater vest over his shirt.

pull on a sweater

She pulled on a sweater before going outside.

Synonyms and how they differ

jumper

Jumper is the usual British word for the same garment; in American English, a jumper is a type of dress.

pullover

Pullover is a similar garment but specifically one that is put on over the head, without buttons.

cardigan

A cardigan is a knitted sweater that opens at the front with buttons or a zipper.

Word family

sweat verb

To produce sweat from the skin.

sweaty adjective

Covered in sweat; causing sweat.

Commonly confused: sweater or sweatshirt?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sweater”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words