In British English, pants are a piece of clothing worn by men, women, or children under their other clothes. Pants have two holes to put your legs through and elastic round the waist or hips to keep them up.
Men's pants are sometimes referred to as underpants. Women's pants are sometimes referred to as panties or knickers.
In American English, a piece of clothing like this for men is usually referred to as shorts or underpants. For women, they are usually called panties.
In American English, the word pants is used to refer to men's or women's trousers.
In both British and American English, shorts are also trousers with very short legs that people wear in hot weather or for taking part in sports.
Both pants and shorts are plural nouns. You use a plural form of a verb with them.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'a pants' or 'a shorts'. You can say a pair of pants or a pair of shorts.
You use a singular form of a verb with a pair of pants or a pair of shorts.
Noun | 1. | ![]() Bermuda shorts, Jamaica shorts - short pants that end at the knee hot pants - skin-tight very short pants worn by young women as an outer garment lederhosen - leather shorts often worn with suspenders; worn especially by men and boys in Bavaria trouser, pant - (usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately; "he had a sharp crease in his trousers" plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one |
2. | ![]() underpants - an undergarment that covers the body from the waist no further than to the thighs; usually worn next to the skin plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one |