shirttail

noun

shirt·tail | \ ˈshərt-ˌtāl

Definition of shirttail

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the part of a shirt that reaches below the waist especially in the back

2 : something small or inadequate

shirttail

adjective

Definition of shirttail (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : very young : immature shirttail boys fishing in the creek

2 : distantly and indefinitely related a shirttail cousin on her father's side

3 : small, trivial, or short typically to the point of inadequacy has a gullied shirttail ranch in the hills

Examples of shirttail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The pro-Palestinian side rode the orchestra’s shirttails to a higher profile for its cause, drawing international headlines, especially for the Kimmel disruption and another at the orchestra’s first concert of the tour, in Brussels. — Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, "The Philadelphia Orchestra's tour of Europe and Israel is done: What did we learn?," 15 June 2018 Many of the untucked shirttails poking from under the jackets were not actually shirts at all. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, "Carolina Herrera and Ralph Lauren Play the Generation Game," 13 Feb. 2018 One customer wants a deeper pocket to hold his glasses, another orders a hidden money pocket in his shirttail or a shirt that buttons to his underwear. — Scott Clark, Houston Chronicle, "Hamilton family selling shirts here for over 100 years," 20 Dec. 2017 Be content to ride the shirttails of a go-getter to bigger and better opportunities. — Jeraldine Saunders, The Mercury News, "Horoscopes: May 11, 2017," 11 May 2017

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