Definitions

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

  • noun An outer garment for covering the body from the waist to the ankles, divided into sections to fit each leg separately.

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

  • noun used attributively as a modifier Of or relating to trousers.
  • noun in clothing retail and fashion A pair of trousers.
  • verb transitive, UK, informal To put money into one's trouser pocket; to pocket.
  • verb transitive, UK, informal To legally remove funds from an organization for personal use.
  • verb transitive, UK, informal To secretively steal an item or money for personal use.

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

  • noun (usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
  • noun a garment (or part of a garment) designed for or relating to trousers

Etymologies

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

[Back-formation from trousers, alteration of obsolete trouse, from Scottish Gaelic triubhas.]

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Examples

  • I know women who are still wearing his broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped black satin trouser suits from 12 years ago or his magical little black dresses, with an inner bodicing that narrowed the waist and emphasized the breasts.

    The Wrong Sort of Black? Tina Gaudoin 2010

  • The trouser is a key item and much has been written about Gap 's Premium Pant collection.

    Chic Simple Tina Gaudoin 2010

  • Last time I checked 35000 people a year were killed or seriously injured each year in trouser related accidents (inc. tights), every one of them avoidable.

    Default Setting - We are sorry « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2006

  • Ginevra lifts what can only be called a trouser leg, because that is what it is, though they are very seldom seen alone.

    Alice Sit-By-The-Fire 1898

  • American Joyce DiDonato is at the top of her game in this sizzling collection of arias representing the gender-bending opera roles - called trouser roles in the biz - that mezzo-sopranos are frequently called on to play.

    Thestar.com - Home Page John Terauds 2011

  • New protective gear -- such as trouser covers made of fiber-reinforcement materials -- and an increased emphasis on safety have helped to reduce injuries among lumberjacks, says Paul Branch, who manages the timber department at Pike Lumber Co. in Akron, Ind. Still, accidents do occur from time to time, and some even result in death.

    Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs 2009

  • The suits are made from pure merino wool and woven in the British mill first used by Montague Burton over 70 years ago and feature intricate detailing such as trouser brace buttons and an embroidered Burton "B" on the under collar.

    Archive 2008-09-01 Thatsnews 2008

  • The suits are made from pure merino wool and woven in the British mill first used by Montague Burton over 70 years ago and feature intricate detailing such as trouser brace buttons and an embroidered Burton "B" on the under collar.

    History in the making as Burton launches Heritage Tailoring Range Thatsnews 2008

  • ( "What Will I Do Without Euridice?"), I was sold forever, even though Orfeo ed Euridice featured a so-called "trouser" lead role, a part originally written for a castrato, but these days performed by a female mezzo-soprano in drag.

    Jackie Fuchs: Why Opera Rocks 2008

  • I LOVE the word "trouser," because it makes me feel like Anna Wintour!

    The Return Of the Unstructured Jacket PeaceBang 2006

Comments

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  • If we have a pair of trousers, is a trouser just one leg of them, cut off below the thigh?

    October 12, 2007

  • The colloquial verb "to trouser" means "to put away (lots of money)". E.g. "look at Vinny in his Beamer, he must be trousering six figures from that dodgy DVD business of his".

    October 12, 2007

  • Now THIS is a word I don't mind verbing!

    October 13, 2007

  • No, young Ulleskelf, there is no such thing as a trouser. 'Trousers' is what we cognoscenti call a plurale tantum, that is "plural only". The singular form however does occur in noun-noun compounds such as 'trouser leg/pocket/press/snake', and of course by conversion as a verb. Hurrah for morphology!

    June 10, 2009

  • "That's right. You're invited to dupe Aunt Mildred by thanking her for that jumper, when in fact you've trousered the cash."

    - Matt Buchanan, Amazon offers happy (but sneaky) returns , theage.com.au, 29 Dec 2010.

    December 29, 2010