boxer shorts en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Named after the shorts worn by those who engage in boxing, as their elasticity is comparable to that of what boxers must wear for unhindered leg movement.
Meanings
-
(plural, plural-only) Loose shorts worn as underwear by men.
In 1925, boxer shorts were unleashed on the world: loose-fitting underwear for men, featuring an elastic waistband inspired by the shorts worn by boxers. It was underwear for the inner pugilist.
2018 August 9, Alan Burdick, “Science has Resolved the Question of Boxers vs. Briefs”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020:Bosun grabbed the car key on the bookshelf in his bedroom and ran to the door, only to realize at the door that he should not go to the state police headquarters in boxer shorts, socks, and this white V-neck shirt.
2020, Feyisayo Anjorin, One Week in the Life of a Hypocrite, page 59:The average man's wardrobe holds eight pairs of boxer shorts or briefs; the average woman's, twice as many undies.
1985 April 29, New York Magazine, page 28:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| boxer short | attributive | lexicographic | |
| boxer short | alternative, uncommon | lexicographic | |
| boxer-short | attributive | lexicographic |
Coordinates
bikini briefs · jockstrap · underwear · undershorts · athletic supporter · briefs · longjohns · underpants · scants · jockeys · Y-fronts
Deriveds
Translations (28)
de Boxershorts (underwear) · nl boxer (underwear) · acw بوكسر (underwear) · ru семе́йные (underwear) · pt samba-canção (underwear) · cmn 四角內褲 /四角内裤 (underwear) · cmn 平角褲 /平角裤 (underwear) · ga fobhríste dornálaí (underwear) · cs boxerky (underwear) · tr paçalı don (underwear) · pl bokserki (underwear) · cmn 四角褲 /四角裤 (underwear) · fr caleçon (underwear) · sh бо̏ксерице (underwear) · es bóxer (underwear) · fi bokserit (underwear) · pt boxers (underwear) · sh bȍkserice (underwear) · nl boxershort (underwear) · rad kăl sŏng (underwear) · tr baksır (underwear) · sv boxer (underwear) · sv boxerkalsonger (underwear) · acw سِروال (underwear) · af bokserbroek (underwear) · gl bóxer (underwear) · sv boxershorts (underwear) · nrf boxeurs (underwear)