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Glite Dictionary
sweat sock

sweat sock

2 2.4
A thick absorbent sock worn during sport to soak up sweat
  • noun
  • /swɛt sɑk/
translation icon : calcetín deportivo
  • Their yellow gowns were cinched tight at their waists, and below the long hems, the girls wore white sweat socks and high-top sneakers.
  • wearing sweat socks

Examples

  • He snatched my laundry bag and pulled out a sweat sock.

    Academic text (2005)

  • For my workout, I always wear my favorite sweat socks to keep my feet dry.

  • After playing basketball, I realized I needed to wash my sweat socks because they were soaked.

  • During the marathon, I wore special sweat socks designed to offer extra comfort and support.

Synonyms

sock
vssweat sock
545 1.0

A soft covering for your foot and lower part of the leg worn inside a shoe

is thicker and designed to absorb heavy moisture during physical activity
athletic sock
vssweat sock
1 1.0

A sock worn for sports that keeps feet comfortable and dry

is thicker and more absorbent, focusing on soaking moisture rather than support

How Absorbent

terry
384 6.0
sweat sock
2 2.4
sock
545 1.0

Surface Forms

sweat sock singular
sweat socks plural

Morphology

sweat + sock

The compound is compositionally transparent: 'sweat' modifies 'sock' to indicate a sock intended to absorb sweat or be worn during sweating. This follows normal English noun+noun compounding patterns and the meaning is directly inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Sweat sock comes from a simple sports image: a thick sock that soaks up sweat during exercise. That's why sweat sock means 'a thick sock that soaks up sweat and is worn for sports'.