Meaning & use
wellington
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A tall rubber boot that keeps your feet dry in rain or mud.
Grammar: Countable: one wellington, two wellingtons. Often used in the plural: a pair of wellingtons.
Patterns
- a pair of wellingtons
- wear wellingtons
- Wellington boots
She put on her wellingtons before walking through the wet field.
The children splashed in puddles in their wellingtons.
You'll need wellingtons if you're going to the farm.
Word forms
| plural | wellingtons |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pair of wellingtons
- He bought a new pair of wellingtons for the trip.
- Wellington boots
- Wellington boots are essential for gardening in wet weather.
- green wellingtons
- The kids wore green wellingtons to match their raincoats.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rain boot
- Rain boot is the common American term; wellington is more British.
- rubber boot
- Rubber boot is a general term for any waterproof boot, not just the knee-high style.
- gumboot
- Gumboot is used in some regions like New Zealand and Australia; wellington is more common in the UK.
Word family
- wellies noun
- Informal British word for wellingtons.
Commonly confused: wellington or Wellington?
wellington vs Wellington
Wellington with a capital W is also the capital city of New Zealand; the boot is usually written with a lowercase w when it means the footwear.
Practice
After the heavy rain, she put on her ______ to walk through the muddy garden.
Choose one answer.
Wellingtons are waterproof boots for wet, muddy conditions. Slippers, sandals, and trainers are not suitable for deep mud.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wellington”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.