pants

UK: /ˈpænts/ US: /pænts/ ,(pants)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pants /pænts/   n. [plural]

1. Clothing trousers:
   His pants were too short.
2. Clothing underpants, esp. for women and children;
   panties.
3. British Terms, Clothing men's underpants, esp. long drawers.

Idioms

4. Idioms wear the pants, to have the dominant role:
   Who wears the pants in that family, the husband or wife?

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pants  (pants), n. (used with a pl. v.)

1. Clothing trousers (def. 1).
2. Clothing underpants, esp. for women and children;
   panties.
3. British Terms, Clothing men's underpants, esp. long drawers.
4. Idioms wear the pants, to have the dominant role;
   be in charge:
   I guess we know who wears the pants in that family.

• short for pantaloons 1830–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pants / pænts/ noun:plural

1. an undergarment reaching from the waist to the thighs or knees
2. Also called: trousers a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs
3. scare the pants off ⇒ to scare extremely

adjective

1. inferior

Etymology: 19th Century: shortened from pantaloons; see pantaloon

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pant¹ /pænt/   v. 

1. Physiology to breathe hard and quickly, as after hard work:
   [no object] He ran up seven flights of stairs, panting and gasping for air.
2. Physiology to breathe or say rapidly or with gasps:
   [used with quotations] "Look out,'' she panted, "he's after us.''
3. to wish for or desire with strong eagerness;
   yearn:
   [no object] to pant for revenge.

n. [countable]

4. Physiology a short, quick effort to breathe;
   gasp.

pant² /pænt/   adj. [before a noun]

1. Clothing of or relating to pants:
   a pant leg; pant cuffs.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pant¹  (pant), v.i. 

1. Physiology to breathe hard and quickly, as after exertion.
2. Physiology to gasp, as for air.
3. to long with breathless or intense eagerness;
   yearn:
   to pant for revenge.
4. Physiology to throb or heave violently or rapidly;
   palpitate.
5. to emit steam or the like in loud puffs.
6. Nautical, Naval Terms (of the bow or stern of a ship) to work with the shock of contact with a succession of waves. Cf. work (def. 30).

v.t. 

7. Physiology to breathe or utter gaspingly.

n. 

8. Physiology the act of panting.
9. Physiology a short, quick, labored effort at breathing;
   gasp.
10. a puff, as of an engine.
11. Physiology a throb or heave, as of the breast.

• Greek phantasioûn to have or form images. See fantasy
• Vulgar Latin *phantasiāre to have visions
• Middle French pant(a)is(i)er
• late Middle English panten 1400–50

pant′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. puff, blow.
  Pant, gasp suggest breathing with more effort than usual.
  Pant suggests rapid, convulsive breathing, as from violent exertion or excitement:
  to pant after running for the train.
  Gasp suggests catching one's breath in a single quick intake, as from amazement, terror, and the like, or a series of such quick intakes of breath, as in painful breathing:
  to gasp with horror; to gasp for breath.
• 3. thirst, hunger.

pant²  (pant), adj. 

1. Clothing of or pertaining to pants:
   pant cuffs.

n. 

2. Clothing See pant leg. 
3. Clothing pants (defs. 1, 2).

• singular of pants 1890–95

pant-, 

1. var. of panto- before a vowel.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pant / pænt/ verb

1. to breathe with noisy deep gasps, as when out of breath from exertion or excitement
2. to say (something) while breathing thus
3. (intransitive) often followed by for: to have a frantic desire (for); yearn
4. (intransitive) to pulsate; throb rapidly

noun

1. the act or an instance of panting
2. a short deep gasping noise; puff

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French pantaisier, from Greek phantasioun to have visions, from phantasia fantasy