noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:AW1 T ER0 W EH2 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Clothing (such as a dress) worn over one's underwear.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Clothing (such as a raincoat) worn over one's clothes when outdoors.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
clothing for use outdoors
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: overclothes
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: clothing, article of clothing, vesture, wear, wearable, habiliment
Narrower terms: gown, robe
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English outer Proto-Indo-European *wes- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *woséyeti Proto-Germanic *wazjaną Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan Old English werian Middle English weren English wear English -wear English outerwear From outer + -wear.
Across languages
Translations
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Cantonese:
面衫
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Chinese:
外衫
(zh-min-nan)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Chinese Mandarin:
外套
(wàitào)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Chinese Mandarin:
外衣
(wàiyī)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Chinese Mandarin:
外褂
(wàiguà)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Finnish:
päälyvaatteet
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Finnish:
päällysvaatteet
— clothing worn over one's underwear
German:
Oberbekleidung
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Kazakh:
сыртқы киім
(syrtqy kiım)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Kazakh:
қаптама
(qaptama)
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Polish:
ubranie wierzchnie
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Spanish:
abrigo
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Spanish:
prenda exterior
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Spanish:
ropa exterior
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Swedish:
innerkläder
— clothing worn over one's underwear
Finnish:
ulkovaatteet
— clothing worn for outdoors