# wet one's pants

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/wet-ones-pants
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To wet oneself, to urinate in one's clothes while wearing them.

## Examples

- The toddler was so scared that he wet his pants.
- He drinks too much water and often wets his pants during his afternoon nap.
- The horror movie was so terrifying that I felt like I might wet my pants.
- The long bus ride had no bathroom breaks, and the passenger feared they would wet their pants before reaching the station.
- The comedian told a joke so hilarious that the audience members were laughing until they nearly wet their pants.

## Origin

The literal sense of urinating in one's clothing provides the foundation for the figurative extensions. These later applications concern reactions of extreme laughter or intense fear, both of which are states where physical composure is at a significant disadvantage. The figurative use relies on a spectrum of literalism. While usually employed to describe a high degree of mirth or terror, the phrase acknowledges that should the laughter or the fright prove sufficiently rigorous, the wetting of the trousers may well progress from a rhetorical flourish to a physical reality.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.