Meaning & use
wigs
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“wigs” is a form of “wig”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Artificial hair worn on the head, used to cover baldness or as part of a costume or uniform.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'wig'; use 'a wig' for one and 'wigs' for two or more.
Patterns
- wear a wig
- a blonde wig
- put on a wig
Judges in some countries still wear white wigs in court.
She wore a bright pink wig to the party.
He started losing his hair and bought two wigs.
nounplural
False hair pieces worn for religious or ceremonial reasons.
Grammar: Plural noun here; the singular 'wig' refers to one piece.
Patterns
- ceremonial wigs
- the wigs worn by judges
The actors practiced putting on their ceremonial wigs.
In the past, wealthy men wore powdered wigs.
Word forms
| singular | wig |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a wig
- Some people wear a wig while their hair grows back.
- a blonde wig
- She put on a blonde wig and sunglasses so nobody would recognize her.
- a judge's wig
- The barrister adjusted his judge's wig before speaking.
- take off a wig
- He took off his wig as soon as the show ended.
- a wig and makeup
- The actor needed a wig and makeup to look older.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hairpiece
- A hairpiece is a small piece of false hair covering part of the head, while a wig usually covers the whole head.
- toupee
- A toupee is a small false hair piece for men, worn mainly to hide baldness; a wig can be full and decorative.
- rug
- In informal British English 'rug' can mean a toupee, but it is slang and not suitable for formal writing.
Word family
- wig noun
- One piece of artificial hair worn on the head.
- wigged adjective
- Wearing a wig, as in 'a wigged judge'.
- wigless adjective
- Not wearing a wig.
Commonly confused: wigs or whig? wigs or weave?
wigs vs whig
'Whig' was a historical British political party member; it sounds the same as 'wig' but has nothing to do with hair.
wigs vs weave
A weave is real or artificial hair sewn into your own hair, not a removable cap like a wig.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
With one item you need the singular 'a wig'. 'A wigs' mixes the article with a plural, 'wig' alone needs a determiner, and 'the wigs' suggests specific plural wigs, which does not fit one person's hair loss.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wigs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.