zoot suit

noun

: a suit of extreme cut typically consisting of a thigh-length jacket with wide padded shoulders and peg pants with narrow cuffs
zoot-suiter noun

Examples of zoot suit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Around the same time the style of zoot suits grew in popularity, groups of young South African men known as tsotsis became known in Apartheid-era Johannesburg for sporting narrow bottomed trousers and imitating the styles of American movie stars. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 30 Apr. 2025 Historical garments include 1940s zoot suits and 19th-century livery worn by an enslaved person in Maryland. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025 Another local man remembers hosting a garage sale at his house, and finding that Kale, wearing a zoot suit and a fedora, had wandered into their laundry room and was digging through his family’s dirty clothes. Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025 From her childhood sewing machine and early college sketches, to up-close looks at the Malcolm X zoot suits and Turkana-tribe inspired beadwork for Black Panther, the result was a comprehensive, full-circle story. Essence, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for zoot suit

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of suit entry 1

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zoot suit was in 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Zoot suit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoot%20suit. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

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