pair of underwear
13
1.0
- noun
- /pɛr ʌnˈdɜrˌwɛr/
- How many pairs of underwear did the child already own?
- extra pair of underwear
- two pairs of underwear
- clean pair of underwear
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Watch on YouTubeBut there have been times where I'm like where I'll put on a pair of underwear that I've worn before, but it doesn't happen often.
- But there have been times where I'm like where I'll put on a pair of underwear that I've worn before, but it doesn't happen often.
- I got a lot of backlash for confessing that like I don't some you know, I wear the same pair of underwear.
Examples
-
"Seven T-shirts, seven pairs of underwear and socks is all I need."
-
She is filling an overnight bag with soap, toilet paper, a clean hand towel, and extra pairs of underwear.
Fiction book (1999) -
l have more than one pair of underwear.
-
I got five pairs of underwear.
-
The daughter has 3 or 4 pairs of underwear and access to a washing machine.
Blog text (19) -
One pair of underwear, that's all they brought?
-
We always put one T-shirt, one pair of underwear, and one pair of socks in a zip-lock bag.
Blog text (31) -
There are few life transitions that require one to live with one T-shirt, two pairs of underwear, and some jeans.
Blog text (25) -
Three pairs of underwear, one pair of long underwear, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, one furry robe, one nightgown.
Fiction book (1991) -
He bought a new pair of underwear for the trip to the beach.
Synonyms
506
1.0
Clothes that you wear next to your skin under other clothes
124
3.6
A pair of short underwear worn by women or girls
117
2.6
A close-fitting piece of underwear for women or girls
91
4.0
A woman's underwear that covers the lower body and each leg
74
1.0
Clothes people wear under other clothes that cover the area from the waist to the upper thighs
62
6.5
A very small piece of underwear with a thin strip that goes between the buttocks
60
1.0
Loose underpants for men that look like shorts
26
7.7
Light women's underwear like panties or bras
25
1.5
A type of short, tight underwear that covers the hips and buttocks but not the thighs
20
8.0
Underwear women wear under their clothes
12
8.8
A set of men's cotton underwear with an undershirt and underpants
9
1.0
Underwear for men that covers the hips and bottom
7
2.4
Warm underwear with long legs worn under clothes in cold weather
6
2.2
Warm clothing that covers the arms and legs and is worn under other clothes
3
1.8
Short, tight underwear worn under clothes, usually by men
3
8.4
A piece of clothing worn under other clothes like socks or an undershirt
1
9.9
Long underpants worn by men under their clothes for warmth
1
9.9
Underwear men wore under their clothes in the past
1
2.7
A small, tight pair of women's underwear cut like a bikini bottom
1
5.9
Clothes worn next to your body, like underwear
1
1.9
Loose underwear for men that reach the thighs with an elastic waist
1
9.9
Underwear like briefs or underpants
How Modest
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning 'an undergarment' is directly derivable from 'underwear' and the construction 'pair of' signals a unit of clothing, so learners who know the words will grasp it refers to underwear. However, the quantity nuance (that 'a pair of underwear' commonly refers to a single garment in English despite 'pair' implying two) is a language-specific usage that may confuse B1 learners. Because the basic referent is compositional but the count/usage is not fully predictable, it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Pair of underwear comes from early clothing where each leg was a separate piece, so people called the two parts a pair and kept the name even after they became one item of underwear. That's why today we still say 'a pair of underwear' to mean 'one item' of underwear.