Synonyms for pants
- noun
- verb
Most common
shorts trousers slacks pantaloons underwear underpants knickerbockers
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Trousers — an outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far…
trousers, slacks, pantaloons, shorts, drawers, undies informal, breeches, panties, knickers, bloomers, kegs, hosen, strides slang UK AU, breeks rare UK
2. Underpants
underpants, underwear, pair of underwear, overalls US AU CA, briefs
Other
knickerbockers, smallclothes rare
Verb
Other
dekeck slang UK
Definitions
- n. 1
An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers.
- n. 2
An undergarment that covers the genitals and often the buttocks and the neighbouring parts of the body; underpants.
- v. 1
To pull someone’s pants down; to forcibly remove someone’s pants.
Forms
- Past participle
- pantsed
e.g. pantsed → sagged, kegged, dacked, debagged…
Example sentences
- shorts Mary wore her bikini under her shorts and T-shirt.
- trousers Do you sell any trousers lined with plaid flannel?
- slacks I bought a pair of slacks with the money you gave me.
- underwear Tom often walks around his house in his underwear.
- underpants I wonder whether Tom wears polka dot underpants.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| pants | rising | |
| shorts | rising | |
| trousers | rising | |
| slacks | rising | |
| pantaloons | rising | |
| underwear | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- sag1, keg1
- 4 letters
- kegs1, dack1
- 5 letters
- hosen, debag
- 6 letters
- shorts1, briefs1, slacks1, undies, breeks, dekeck
- 7 letters
- panties2, drawers1, strides1, depants
- 8 letters
- trousers2, knickers2, overalls3, breeches2, bloomers2
- 9 letters
- underwear3
- 10 letters
- underpants3, pantaloons3
- 12 letters
- smallclothes
- 14 letters
- knickerbockers4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (panties2 = 2 syllables).