Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A short-sleeved, pullover shirt with no collar.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A lightweight shirt without buttons, with short sleeves and no collar. Often made of cotton and frequently bears a picture or slogan.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a close-fitting pullover shirt

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps from its being shaped like the letter T, when spread out.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From its shape.

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Examples

  • And in terms of function, there's little difference between a designer-label T-shirt costing several hundred dollars and a $20 version from the Gap; it won't wick your sweat away any better or keep you any drier.

    Why do $500 T-shirts cost so much? By Jason Chow 2011

  • "This guy turned up at our Paris air show in jeans and a T-shirt, which is a bit of a first for us," says Bob Horner, head of worldwide sales for Bombardier, the maker of Learjet.

    The Jet Set Stacy Meichtry 2012

  • Sitting side by side on the smelly seat, I noticed he was wearing a Space Gizmoid T-shirt, which is probably the best video game in the history of forever.

    Milo Alan Silberberg 2010

  • Sitting side by side on the smelly seat, I noticed he was wearing a Space Gizmoid T-shirt, which is probably the best video game in the history of forever.

    Milo Alan Silberberg 2010

  • As I pass by, I feel her hand on my waist, tugging down my T-shirt, which is riding up in the back.

    My Sister’s Keeper Jodi Picoult 2004

  • “First,” I said, “we have one hand-painted T-shirt, which is an original work of art done by Mrs. Bella Dubinsky.

    The View from Saturday E. L. Konigsburg 1996

  • The T part of T-shirt is no less suited to global rebels, those with or without a cause.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • Of course, the T in T-shirt makes no strict reference to the alphabetic revolution, but it nevertheless remains a direct descendant of the Phoenician breakthrough in writing.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • By 1920 the noun T-shirt denoted a collar-free, short-sleeved, cotton undergarment that replicated the letter T when laid out neat and flat.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • From there, the unbroken chain of the Western tradition of liberal education is directly traceable to its apex: spring break, and the wet T-shirt contest.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

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