Definition

Adjective 1. Resistant to developing runs or ladders: Describes a type of hosiery (such as tights or stockings) that is manufactured to prevent a small snag or tear from developing into a long, vertical run or ladder in the fabric.

Usage

This adjective is used almost exclusively to describe the quality of hosiery (pantyhose, tights, stockings). It is a technical or marketing term that specifies a product feature.

Examples

• "For durability, she always buys ladder-proof tights."
• "The advertisement claimed the stockings were completely ladder-proof."
• "This new knitting technique produces a truly ladder-proof fabric for hosiery."

Advanced Usage

• The term is often seen in product descriptions, packaging, and advertisements for hosiery.
• It is a compound adjective formed from the noun "ladder" (referring to the vertical run in fabric) and the adjective "proof" (meaning resistant to or safe from).

Variants and Related Words

• Run-resistant (Adjective): A more general synonym, commonly used in American English. "These pantyhose are marketed as run-resistant."
• Ladder (Noun, UK English): The vertical run in hosiery caused by a broken thread. (In US English, this is typically called a "run").
• Run (Noun, US English): The vertical damage in hosiery.

Synonyms

• Run-resistant
• Snag-resistant (though this is more general, referring to resistance to initial snags rather than specifically to the propagation of a run)

Notes on Meaning

• The term is regionally specific. In British English, the damage is called a "ladder," hence "ladder-proof." In American English, the same damage is called a "run," making "run-resistant" the more common equivalent.
• "Ladder-proof" implies a design or material property intended to stop a small snag from spreading, not that the garment is completely indestructible.

Adjective

1. (of hosiery) resistant to runs or (in Britain) ladders