hose

hose — noun

1. a bendable pipe connected to a water tap, made of rubber or plastic, used for wa

1.nounB1
Definition

a bendable pipe connected to a water tap, made of rubber or plastic, used for watering gardens, washing vehicles, or fighting fires

Example

Élise attached the garden hose to the outdoor tap and began watering the tomato plants.

collocation: attach the hose / turn on the hose

The firefighter pulled the hose across the street and aimed it at the burning house.

Common collocations
  • garden hose
  • rubber hose
  • plastic hose
  • hose pipe
  • attach a hose
  • turn on the hose
  • hose nozzle
Synonyms
  • hosepipe

    British English term; less common in American English

  • tube

    more general; can refer to any hollow cylinder, not just for water

Grammar Patterns

a hose

the hose

Usage Note

A garden hose usually has a metal or plastic nozzle attached at the end to control the flow and direction of water.

Common Mistakes

The plumber replaced the garden pipe.
The plumber replaced the garden hose.
A hose is flexible and used for watering; a pipe is rigid and used in plumbing.

2. in shop contexts, a category name for legwear products such as stockings, tights

2.nounB2
Definition

in shop contexts, a category name for legwear products such as stockings, tights, and socks

Example

Layla browsed the rack of hose in the department store, looking for black tights.

The shop assistant showed Gabriela the finest silk hose in the hosiery section.

collocation: silk hose

Common collocations
  • silk hose
  • cotton hose
  • nylon hose
  • pair of hose
  • hosiery section
  • hose department
Synonyms
  • hosiery

    the standard retail category name; more formal

  • tights

    specifically a close-fitting one-piece leg covering

  • stockings

    separate leg coverings that reach the upper thigh

  • socks

    short foot coverings that end at the ankle or calf

Grammar Patterns

a pair of hose

Usage Note

In modern everyday conversation, 'tights', 'stockings', or 'socks' are preferred over 'hose'. The word 'hose' survives mainly in retail and manufacturing contexts.

Common Mistakes

I bought three hose at the store.
I bought three pairs of hose at the store.
'Hose' as a clothing term is used with 'pair of' for counting.

3. tight leg coverings that European men wore during the 1500s and 1600s, cut eithe

3.nounC1
Definition

tight leg coverings that European men wore during the 1500s and 1600s, cut either at the knee or full-length, and typically combined with a fitted jacket known as a doublet

Example

In the museum portrait, the nobleman wore a velvet doublet and matching hose.

Reuben's costume for the historical play included striped hose and a feathered cap.

Common collocations
  • pair of hose
  • Elizabethan hose
  • velvet hose
  • striped hose
  • woollen hose
  • doublet and hose
Synonyms
  • breeches

    closely related; specifically short trousers reaching just below the knee

  • leggings

    modern equivalent in shape, but made of stretch fabric rather than tailored cloth

Grammar Patterns

a pair of hose

hose — verb

Word family

  • hoses
    nounB1
  • hosed
    verbB1
  • hosepipe
    nounB2
  • hosiery
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A hose is a flexible tube made of rubber or plastic, designed to carry water from a tap to where it is needed — you coil it, drag it around the garden, and attach a nozzle to its end. A pipe, by contrast, is a rigid tube (metal or PVC) used in buildings or underground to carry water, gas, or sewage, and it is fixed in place. A tube is the most general term of the three: anything from a toothpaste tube to the glass cylinder in a laboratory counts as a tube. Hosepipe is a British English word that means the same as garden hose. Examples: "I bought a new garden hose because the old one had a crack in it." "The plumber replaced the copper pipe under the sink." "She squeezed the last bit of cream from the tube."

hose ↗pipe ↗tube ↗hosepipe

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'hose' comes from Old English 'hosa', which meant a covering for the leg, like a stocking or a pair of trousers. Over time, the word took on a second meaning: a long tube-shaped covering for water, which gave us the modern garden hose. The two meanings — leg coverings and water pipes — have both survived into Modern English, though the pipe sense is now far more common.