Definition

1. Noun:
   • A device for holding up trousers: A suspender is an elastic strap, typically one of a pair, worn over the shoulders to hold trousers up by attaching to them at the front and back. This term is almost always used in the plural form, "suspenders."

Usage

• The primary function of suspenders is to support trousers. They are an alternative to a belt.
• The word is used as a countable noun, almost exclusively in its plural form: "a pair of suspenders."
• In British English, the equivalent term for the straps that hold up trousers is "braces." In American English, "suspenders" refers to trouser supports, while "garters" refers to devices for holding up socks.

Examples

• Noun:
  • He wore a pair of red suspenders with his suit.
  • The old-fashioned suit was completed with elegant silk suspenders.
  • Suspenders attach to trousers with clips or buttons.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in/have one's suspenders showing": An idiom implying someone is old-fashioned, meticulous, or in a position of authority, often in a stuffy way, referencing the garment's traditional association.
  • The new manager came in with his suspenders showing, ready to enforce all the old rules.

Variants and Related Words

• Braces (n, chiefly British): The British English term for the straps that hold up trousers.
• Garter (n): An elastic band worn around the leg to hold up a sock or stocking. (Note: In American English, this is distinct from "suspenders.")
• Belt (n): A strip of leather or other material worn around the waist to support trousers or for decoration; a functional alternative to suspenders.

Synonyms

• Braces (British English equivalent).
• Galluses (n, archaic/regional): An old-fashioned term for suspenders.

Related Phrases

• To hitch up one's suspenders: To adjust one's suspenders, often used figuratively to mean preparing oneself for a task or adopting a determined attitude.
  • He hitched up his suspenders and got ready to address the difficult crowd.

Noun

1. elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)