petticoat

noun

pet·ti·coat | \ˈpe-tē-ˌkōt

Definition of petticoat

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a skirt worn by women, girls, or young children: such as

a : an outer skirt formerly worn by women and small children

b : a fancy skirt made to show below a draped-up overskirt

c : an underskirt usually a little shorter than outer clothing and often made with a ruffled, pleated, or lace edge

d archaic : the skirt of a woman's riding habit

2a : a garment characteristic or typical of women

b : woman

3 : something (such as a valance) resembling a petticoat

petticoat

adjective

Definition of petticoat (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, or exercised by women : female

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Examples of petticoat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

On one occasion, Bickerdyke ordered privileged white ladies to drop their petticoats so the muslin could be used to bandage the unwrapped stumps of amputees. — Harold Holzer, WSJ, "Burning Down the South," 7 June 2018 Don't turn your back Or vacillate. Don't dry your hands On petticoat, On handkerchief, Or redingote. — Abby, Houston Chronicle, "Lighthearted poem reminds visitors to use guest towels," 13 Mar. 2018 In Connemara at the same time people still dressed boys and girls alike in red flannel petticoats until the age of twelve, a disguise used to trick those fairies who liked to steal boys in particular. — Longreads, "Fairy Scapegoats: A History of the Persecution of Changeling Children," 9 June 2018 As a result, middle- and upper-class American women squeezed themselves into corsets and six to eight petticoats to fill out the shape of their skirts. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Amelia Bloomer Didn’t Mean to Start a Fashion Revolution, But Her Name Became Synonymous With Trousers," 24 May 2018 At one point, countertenor Charles Humphries (a capable replacement for Robin Blaze) donned a petticoat and smeared lipstick on his mouth to play the rustic Mopsa, spurning Brook’s amorous Coridon in a hilarious duet. — Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Handel and Haydn ‘Fairy Queen’ is delightful," 7 Apr. 2018 Like southern belles’ petticoats Soon gone with the wind. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "Here are the winning entries in the 2018 springtime in Washington haiku contest," 3 Apr. 2018 The answer suggested by Woolf and Ruhl is that the true costume here, more so than petticoats or frocks, is gender itself. — Jeremy D. Goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Subverting gender in Lyric Stage’s sly ‘Orlando’," 27 Feb. 2018 There was an imprint of Irene's petticoat found on the banks of the canal and a partial heel print from a man's shoe. — CBS News, "Inside the trial of former priest charged with 1960 murder of Texas schoolteacher," 27 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petticoat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.