Underwear Meaning
/ˈʌndəwɛə/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounClothes worn next to the skin, underneath outer clothing.
nounUnderpants (boxers, briefs, panties, etc) and often bras.
Sentence Examples
I'm pleased with my new underwear.
We're going to buy underwear. You're still not wearing underpants, are you?
Tom hid the money in his underwear drawer.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He bought new ____ to wear under his clothes because his old ones were torn.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please remember to pack enough clean ____ for your week-long trip to the mountains this afternoon today.
Word Origin & History
From under- + -wear. Compare Dutch ondergoed, German Unterwäsche, Swedish underkläder.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Don't scratch and bite, my little bear, you'll soon need bigger underwear."
— 1998, Banjo-Kazooie, Rareware:
"As a couple of soldiers sing a dirty song, he loses sight of the edge of the stage and falls off in the middle of his dance like a seasoned slapstick artist, his white legs in the air and his filthy underwear visible to all."
— 2016 June 30, Stefan Hertmans, War and Turpentine, Random House, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 202:
"“A thong,” she answered him breathlessly. Now completely turned on by the fact that his man was sniffing her underwear and grinning like a tiger that took down its prey. That is if tigers could smile and still look sexy."
— 2006, Toni L. Meilleur, Tournament of Fire:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He bought new ____ to wear under his clothes because his old ones were torn.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please remember to pack enough clean ____ for your week-long trip to the mountains this afternoon today.