Pants

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /pænts/
• Rhymes: -ænts

Shortened from pantaloons ("trousers").

Noun

1. (plural only, chiefly North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) An outer garment worn by men and women that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers. from 19th c.
• 1933, Kenneth Roberts (author), Rabble in Arms, 1996, page 220:“But they cover the legs,” Joseph explained. “That is the only reason my people wear pants: to cover the legs in the winter, or when traveling through rough country, full of thorns. In warm weather, or in open country, pants are unnecessary, uncomfortable, and foolish.”
• 1989, Bryce Courtenay, , Penguin (2006), page 427:Then he gave me a last desperate push and I tripped over the shorts caught around my ankles and fell down. I tried to pull my pants up with my boxing gloves but without success....In those days nobody wore underpants and I was bare-arsed and fancy free in front of everyone.
• 2010, Ronald C. Eng (editor), Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 8th Edition, The Mountaineers Books, US, page 24:Look for pants with reinforced seats and knees and full-length side zippers that make it possible to put the pants on while you are wearing boots, crampons, skis, or snowshoes.
• 2005, Octavia E. Butler, , page 12:I rolled up the legs of the pants, then I went back into the trees.
• 2012, May 27, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992), The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).
2. (plural only, chiefly UK) An undergarment worn by men or women that covers the genitals and often the buttocks and the neighbouring parts of the body; underpants. from 19th c.
• 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin 2011, p. 39:I decided to pass up her underclothes, not from feelings of delicacy, but because I couldn't see myself putting her pants on and snapping her brassière.
• 1976, Nathan H. Azrin, Richard M. Foxx, Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, 1988, page 127:Big girls get candy for dry pants.
• 1984, Martin Amis, Money, Vintage (2005), page 183:As she bent over the intercom the little skirt went peek-a-boo and you could see white pants cupping her buttocks like a bra.
3. (fashion) Plural of pant
4. (UK, slang) rubbish; something worthlessYou're talking pants!The film was a load (or pile) of pants.

Synonyms

• (outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards) breeks, britches, slacks, strides, trousers
• (undergarment that covers the genitals and often neighbouring body parts) drawers, underpants, underwearfor men boxers, boxer shorts, BVD's, ginch, gitch, gonch, gotch, jockeys, jockey shorts, shorts, skivvies, undershortsfor women underpants, knickers, panties

Hyponyms

• (outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards) corduroys/cords, jeans

Derived terms

Full definition of pants

Verb

1. To pull someone’s pants down; to forcibly remove someone’s pants ; an Americanism for debag.
• 1948, University of California, Carolina Quarterly, page 47:Keith Gerber has been pantsed twice already this summer by Lannie and Cling, and so his face is more resolved, the fear tempered by the fact that he understands these things to be inevitable.
• 1980, William Hogan, The Quartzsite Trip, Atheneum, page 242:The other boys, Stretch Latham and Rod Becker mainly, pantsed him, got his jockey shorts away and threw them onto Hubcap Willie’s roof.
• 1993, Harold Augenbraum, Ilan Stavans, Growing Up Latino: Memoirs and Stories, page 174:Richard did not stand too close to him, because he was always trying to pants him, and he would have died of shame if he did it tonight, because he knew his BVDs were dirty at the trap door.

Synonyms

• (pull someone’s pants down) depants, de-pants, British keg

Adjective

1. (British, slang) of inferior quality, rubbish.Your mobile is pants — why don’t you get one like mine?

From the verb to pant (from Middle English panten and (hence) the noun pant.)

Verb

1. pants

   (third-person singular of pant)