Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
two-piece suit

two-piece suit

1 2.5
A set of matching jacket and trousers or skirt that people wear for work
  • noun
  • /ˈtuːˌpiːs suːt/
translation icon : traje de dos piezas
  • There were mothers in two-piece suits, straddling chairs, spreading lotion and herding children under umbrellas when the sun was straight up and doing its worst damage.
  • wears a two-piece suit

Examples

  • Back on stage, Abby called out Yvette for her botched plan, and Kristie somehow managed a somersault in that tight croco two-piece suit.

    Blog text (7)

  • Audrey wears a two-piece suit with a pleated skirt.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • We charge ten guineas for the two-piece suit, moving up to 13 guineas for the three-piece.

    Vera Drake (2004)

  • Who wore uniforms: two-piece suits in baby-blue polyester, as did the bank clerks on the Main Road; only theirs was a darker blue.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • She wore a stylish two-piece suit for the important business meeting.

  • The fashion show featured a variety of two-piece suits that highlighted the latest trends.

  • He walked into the office wearing a tailored two-piece suit that impressed everyone.

Synonyms

pantsuit
vstwo-piece suit
26 3.7

A set of matching trousers and jacket worn together by women

is broader covering business wear for any gender and includes skirts
business suit
vstwo-piece suit
16 1.8

A matching jacket and trousers worn for formal work or important meetings

allows either a skirt or trousers as the matching bottom
suit of clothes
vstwo-piece suit
3 3.0

A set of matching clothes with a jacket and trousers or skirt

is specific to business suits rather than any matching outfit
two-piece
vstwo-piece suit
2 3.0

A suit with a matching jacket and skirt or trousers

is the longer phrase form rather than the shorter label
lounge suit
vstwo-piece suit
  • UK
1 4.7

A matching jacket and trousers or skirt worn for work and smart events

is restricted to formal business wear rather than informal use

Antonyms

one-piece
32 3.2

Clothing made as a single item instead of separate parts

How Formal

tuxedo
  • US
80 3.0
two-piece suit
1 2.5
blazer
52 2.5
shirt
∞ 1.0
T-shirt
400 1.0

Surface Forms

two-piece suit singular
two-piece suits plural

Morphology

two-piece + suit

The phrase is transparently compositional: 'two-piece' indicates something made of two parts and 'suit' is a matching outfit, so a 'two-piece suit' is readily understood as a suit consisting of two garments (jacket + trousers or skirt). This follows normal English compound/adj+noun patterns and similar constructions exist in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer it.

Etymology

The compound two-piece suit comes from the simple image of a suit made of two matching parts: a jacket and trousers or a skirt. So, it now means 'a suit made of those two matching parts' worn for work or formal occasions.