What does "pants" mean?

1. (trousers) an outer piece of clothing that covers your body from the waist to the ankles, with a separate part for each leg. 2. (underwear) a piece of clothing worn under your trousers or skirt, next to your skin. 3. (something worthless) something that is very bad, low quality, or total rubbish. 4. (bad or low quality) not good; of very poor quality. 5. (to pull down someone's trousers) to pull someone's trousers down quickly as a joke or to embarrass them.

pants — meaning, definition & examples

Q: How do you use "pants"?

Always takes a plural verb. Always takes a plural verb. Often used with the intensifier 'absolute' or 'complete'. Usually used after the verb 'to be'. Transitive verb.

Q: Is it correct to say "I bought a new pants today."?

No — say "I bought a new pair of pants today.". Pants is a plural-only noun; use 'a pair of' to count them or refer to a single item.

Word

01trousers

A2 · Elementary Plural noun American English

n. an outer piece of clothing that covers your body from the waist to the ankles, with a separate part for each leg.

n. an outer garment covering the lower body from the waist to the ankles with separate sections for each leg.

“He put on a clean pair of blue pants before going to the office.”

“The tailor suggested a slim-fit cut for the pants to complement the modern silhouette of the matching suit jacket.”

Usage

Always takes a plural verb.

Pitfall

I bought a new pants today.

I bought a new pair of pants today.

Pants is a plural-only noun; use 'a pair of' to count them or refer to a single item.

Teaching tip

This is the standard word for 'trousers' in American, Canadian, and Australian English.

Synonyms

trousers slacks

Antonyms

shorts

02underwear

B1 · Intermediate Plural noun British English

n. a piece of clothing worn under your trousers or skirt, next to your skin.

n. an undergarment covering the pelvic area.

“Don't forget to pack enough clean pants for the week-long trip.”

“The department store moved its selection of men's cotton pants to the third floor next to the hosiery section.”

Usage

Always takes a plural verb.

Teaching tip

In the UK, using 'pants' to mean 'trousers' can lead to confusion or embarrassment, as it specifically refers to underwear there.

Synonyms

underpantsknickersbriefs

03something worthless

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun British English · Slang · Informal

n. something that is very bad, low quality, or total rubbish.

n. something considered to be of poor quality, nonsense, or worthless.

“That movie was absolute pants; we left the cinema after twenty minutes.”

“The critics agreed that the band's latest album was complete pants compared to their early masterpieces.”

Usage

Often used with the intensifier 'absolute' or 'complete'.

Teaching tip

A common, mild British slang term used to express disappointment or dislike.

Synonyms

rubbish garbage nonsense

Antonyms

quality gem

04bad or low quality

C1 · Advanced British English · Slang · Informal

adj. not good; of very poor quality.

adj. inferior in quality; unsatisfactory.

“The weather has been really pants all week, so we stayed inside.”

“I'm sorry your exam result was so pants, but I'm sure you'll do better next time.”

Usage

Usually used after the verb 'to be'.

Teaching tip

This is a very common informal way for British speakers to say something is 'rubbish'.

Synonyms

bad rubbish poor

Antonyms

great excellent

05to pull down someone's trousers

C2 · Proficiency American English · Slang · Informal

v. to pull someone's trousers down quickly as a joke or to embarrass them.

v. to forcibly pull down someone's trousers, typically as a prank.

“The school bully tried to pants the younger boy in the playground.”

“The locker room prank involved trying to pants unsuspecting teammates while they were distracted by the coach's speech.”

Usage

Transitive verb.

Teaching tip

This term is mostly used in American school or sports contexts.

Synonyms

depants

Etymology tree Ancient Greek πᾶς (pâs) Ancient Greek ἔλεος (éleos) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek ἐλεέω (eleéō) Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ Ancient Greek -μων (-mōn) Ancient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn) Ancient Greek Παντελεήμων (Panteleḗmōn)bor. Spanish Pantaleónder. Italian Pantaloneder. French pantalonbor. English pantaloon English pantaloons English pants Shortened from pantaloons (“trousers”): borrowed from French pantalon, itself derived from Italian Pantalone, one of the principal characters found in commedia dell'arte, who wore tight trousers. Doublet of pantsu. The verb is from the noun.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.