blouse

blouse — noun

1. a top for women or girls, usually made of light cloth and worn like a shirt

1.nounA1
Definition

a top for women or girls, usually made of light cloth and worn like a shirt

Example

Priya wore a blue blouse to the school concert tonight.

wear a blouse

The shop window showed a white blouse with small pearl buttons.

blouse with + detail

Common collocations
  • silk blouse
  • cotton blouse
  • white blouse
  • blouse with buttons
  • loose blouse
Synonyms
  • shirt

    the broader everyday word and not limited to women's clothing

  • top

    a very general word for many kinds of upper-body clothing

  • tunic

    usually longer and looser than a blouse

Grammar Patterns

wear a blouse

blouse with + detail

silk/cotton blouse

Usage Note

Usually refers to clothing for women or girls and often suggests a slightly dressier or softer style than shirt. In everyday speech, top is broader and can include many other upper-body clothes.

Common Mistakes

My father bought a new blouse for the meeting.
My father bought a new shirt for the meeting.
blouse usually refers to a woman's or girl's upper-body garment.
Idioms

a big girl’s blouse

idiom

This is an insulting way to describe a man who is not strong or brave.

Tom called his brother a big girl's blouse for crying.

Don't be such a big girl's blouse, just ask her out!

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Blouse, shirt, top, and tunic can all describe clothes worn on the upper body, but they are not the same. A blouse usually suggests clothing for women or girls and often sounds softer, neater, or slightly more dressy than shirt. Shirt is the broad everyday word and can be used for men's or women's clothing. Top is even more general and works for many casual styles, including T-shirts and tank tops. Tunic usually means a longer, looser piece that hangs lower than a blouse. If Zara wears a silk blouse to the office, blouse sounds natural. If Ravi changes into a sports shirt after work, blouse would sound wrong.

shirt ↗toptunic

Common collocations

Nouns

  • silk blouse
  • cotton blouse
  • white blouse
  • school blouse

Phrases

  • wear a blouse
  • put on a blouse
  • blouse with buttons

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

English borrowed blouse in the 19th century from French blouse. In French, it first referred to a loose work shirt, and its older origin is uncertain.