pantaloon

noun

pan·​ta·​loon ˌpan-tə-ˈlün 

1

a

or pantalone

ˌpan-tə-ˈlō-nē 

capitalized : a character in the commedia dell'arte that is usually a skinny old dotard who wears spectacles, slippers, and a tight-fitting combination of trousers and stockings

b

: a buffoon in pantomimes

2

pantaloons plural

a

: wide breeches worn especially in England during the reign of Charles II

b

: close-fitting trousers usually having straps passing under the instep and worn especially in the 19th century

3

: loose-fitting usually shorter than ankle-length trousers

Synonyms

• breeches
• britches
• pants
• slacks
• trousers

Examples of pantaloon in a Sentence

loose-fitting cotton pantaloons that are designed to be worn as loungewear

Recent Examples on the Web

Sporting a goatee, tricorn hat, purple vest and pantaloons, the bad-news buccaneer ambushed the victim near the station’s turnstiles, punching him repeatedly before making off with his AirPods and sneakers. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2024

What was once avant-garde (the pantaloon, the stirrup, the male stocking, the chubby old manager inexplicably kitting up in full uniform) has become passé. —Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024

Several said the Duggars’ TLC show reminded them of their own strict upbringings, especially depictions of the docile, obedient Duggar children in their pilgrim collars and pantaloons. —Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 2 June 2023

Black women painted with dramatic makeup wear pantaloons and lacy corsets to create editorial tableaux reminiscent of a Beyoncé visual album. —Vulture, 8 May 2023

His costume consisted of a white blouse with blue pleated sleeves, a brown vest, dark blue pantaloons, a blue cape, a fencing foil and fake brown boots. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2023

Beginning in the 1790s, U.S. officials spread throughout eastern North America and pressured the continent’s longtime residents to change their ways: to wear pantaloons, use plows, pray to Jesus. —Caitlin Fitz, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020

Louis Vuitton's wall of history Elizabethan ruffs glistened in the lights alongside medieval two-point hats, pantaloons, exaggerated wigs and crinolines Tuesday at Louis Vuitton's fall collection in Paris. —Thomas Adamson, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2020

Anatoly enrolled his boxing prodigy in dance classes and not just any dance classes but traditional Ukrainian dance classes, called Hopak, where performers wear the brightest of boots and colorful satin pantaloons, like from the movie Aladdin. —Greg Bishop, SI.com, 9 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French Pantalon, from Old Italian Pantaleone, Pantalone

First Known Use

circa 1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

pantaloon

noun

pan·​ta·​loon ˌpant-ᵊl-ˈün 

1

plural : close-fitting trousers usually with straps passing under the insteps

2

: loose-fitting usually shorter than ankle-length trousers see Word History at pants