Meaning & use
trousers
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
A piece of clothing that covers the lower body and has a separate part for each leg.
Grammar: Always plural in form; use a plural verb: These trousers are too long. To talk about one item, say 'a pair of trousers'.
Patterns
- a pair of trousers
- wear trousers
- put on trousers
- take off trousers
He wore a dark jacket and gray trousers to the interview.
These trousers are too tight around the waist.
She bought a new pair of trousers for the trip.
Word forms
| plural | trousers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pair of trousers
- I need to buy a pair of trousers for work.
- wear trousers
- In many offices, people wear trousers rather than skirts.
- long trousers
- The boys were told to change into long trousers for dinner.
- short trousers
- In the past, young boys often wore short trousers.
- trouser leg
- There was a hole in the trouser leg.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- trouser adjective
- Used before a noun to mean 'of trousers', as in 'trouser pocket' or 'trouser leg'.
Commonly confused: trousers or pants? trousers or trouser?
trousers vs pants
In American English, 'pants' means trousers; in British English, it means underwear. Be careful when talking to people from different countries.
trousers vs trouser
This is not the singular of 'trousers' for one item of clothing; it is only used as an adjective before a noun, e.g. 'trouser press'.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Trousers' is always plural and takes a plural verb, so 'These trousers are' is correct. 'Trouser' is not used as a singular noun for one item.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trousers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.