stocking

stocking — noun

1. An item of thin clothing, such as nylon or silk, that fits closely over a person

1.nounA2
Definition

An item of thin clothing, such as nylon or silk, that fits closely over a person's foot and leg, sometimes reaching the upper thigh, and is usually worn under a dress or skirt.

Example

Yuki wore black stockings under her school uniform every day.

collocation: wear + black stockings under [clothing]

Christopher bought a pair of silk stockings for his wife's birthday.

collocation: a pair of [material] stockings

Common collocations
  • silk stockings
  • black stockings
  • fishnet stockings
  • nylon stockings
  • thigh-high stockings
  • a pair of stockings
  • wear stockings
  • put on stockings
  • stockings under a skirt
Synonyms
  • nylons

    Refers specifically to stockings made of nylon; common in mid-20th-century usage but now slightly dated

  • hosiery

    A broader, more formal term that covers all legwear including stockings, tights, and socks

  • pantyhose

    American English term for a one-piece garment covering the waist and both legs, similar to but distinct from stockings

Grammar Patterns

a pair of stockings

wear + stockings

Usage Note

Stockings are worn as separate garments, one on each leg, and are usually held up by a garter or elastic tops. Unlike 'tights', which cover both legs and the waist in a single piece, stockings leave the upper thigh and waist exposed. The word is almost always used in the plural ('stockings').

Common Mistakes

I bought a new sock to wear under my dress.
I bought a new stocking to wear under my dress.
A sock is short and worn inside shoes; a stocking is long, thin, and worn under dresses or skirts.
She put on her tights for the formal dinner.' (when meaning separate leg garments).
She put on her stockings for the formal dinner.
Tights are a single piece covering the waist and both legs; stockings are separate garments for each leg.

2. A decorative fabric bag shaped like a sock, hung up by families on Christmas Eve

2.nounA2
Definition

A decorative fabric bag shaped like a sock, hung up by families on Christmas Eve and filled with gifts overnight.

Example

The children hung their stockings by the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

collocation: hang + stockings + by the fireplace

Ziad found a chocolate orange at the bottom of his stocking on Christmas morning.

Common collocations
  • Christmas stocking
  • hang a stocking
  • fill a stocking
  • stocking filler
  • stocking stuffer
  • stocking by the fireplace
  • open stockings on Christmas morning

Grammar Patterns

a Christmas stocking

hang + [possessive] + stocking

fill + [possessive] + stocking

Usage Note

The Christmas stocking is a tradition in many English-speaking countries. The stocking is traditionally hung by the fireplace, though modern families also hang them on stairs, walls, or at the foot of a bed.

Common Mistakes

We left a sock by the fire for Father Christmas.
We left a Christmas stocking by the fireplace.
A Christmas stocking is a special decorative bag, not an ordinary sock.
Idioms

in your stocking(ed) feet

idiom

Wearing only socks or stockings, without shoes.

Maya walked across the carpet in her stocking feet.

Did Diego really dance in his stockinged feet at the party?

Word family

  • stockinged
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Nylons' refers specifically to stockings made of nylon and is nowadays felt as slightly dated or nostalgic, whereas 'stockings' (sense 1) is the neutral everyday term for thin legwear. 'Tights' (British English) and 'pantyhose' (American English) describe a single garment covering both legs and the waist, making them functionally different from stockings, which come as two separate pieces. 'Hosiery' is the broadest, most formal category, covering all legwear — stockings, tights, socks, and pantyhose. Example: 'She wore black tights under her trousers' would describe a different garment from 'She wore black stockings under her dress.'

nylonstightspantyhose ↗hosiery

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a pair of stockings

Prepositions

  • in stockings
  • with stockings

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Middle English 'stokking', meaning a covering for the leg. This developed from 'stok' (stock), which referred to the trunk or lower part of something — in this case, the leg. The Christmas stocking tradition dates from the early 19th century, popularised by Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas', where children's stockings are hung by the chimney for Saint Nicholas to fill with gifts.