pant

/pænt/

/pænt/

Other forms: panting; pants; panted

When you breathe hard and fast, you pant. It's perfectly normal to pant after you finish running a marathon — or even after chasing your runaway dog through the neighborhood.

You might pause at the top of a hill to pant and catch your breath before you continue on your hike. That loud, gasping breath itself is also a pant — but when this noun is plural, it means trousers, slacks, or jeans. Be careful, though — in parts of the UK, pants are primarily women's undergarments. Any pants you wear on you body come from pantaloons, which in the 1600s meant tights.

Definitions of pant

1. verb

   breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
   “The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily”

   synonyms: gasp, heave, puff

   type of:

   blow

   exhale hard
2. verb

   utter while panting, as if out of breath
   synonyms: gasp

   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
3. noun

   a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
   synonyms: gasp

   type of:

   aspiration, breathing in, inhalation, inspiration, intake

   the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing
4. noun

   (usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
   synonyms: trouser

   types:

   bell-bottoms, bellbottom pants, bellbottom trousers

   trousers with legs that flare; worn by sailors; absurdly wide hems were fashionable in the 1960s

   breeches, knee breeches, knee pants, knickerbockers, knickers

   trousers ending above the knee

   chino

   trousers made with chino cloth

   churidars

   tight trousers worn by people from the Indian subcontinent (typically with a kameez or kurta)

   cords, corduroys

   cotton trousers made of corduroy cloth

   flannel, gabardine, tweed, white

   (usually in the plural) trousers made of flannel or gabardine or tweed or white cloth

   blue jean, denim, jean

   (usually plural) close-fitting trousers of heavy denim for manual work or casual wear

   jodhpur breeches, jodhpurs, riding breeches

   flared pants ending at the calves and worn with riding boots

   long pants, long trousers

   trousers reaching to the foot

   pajama, pyjama

   a pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist; worn by men and women in some Asian countries

   pantaloon

   trousers worn in former times

   pedal pusher, toreador pants

   snug trousers ending at the calves; worn by women and girls

   salwar, shalwar

   a pair of light loose trousers with a tight fit around the ankles; worn by women from the Indian subcontinent (usually with a kameez)

   short pants, shorts, trunks

   trousers that end at or above the knee

   slacks

   (usually in the plural) pants for casual wear

   stretch pants

   trousers made of a stretchy fabric

   sweat pants, sweatpants

   loose-fitting trousers with elastic cuffs; worn by athletes

   trews

   tight-fitting trousers; usually of tartan

   Bermuda shorts, Jamaica shorts

   short pants that end at the knee

   britches

   informal term for breeches

   buckskins

   breeches made of buckskin

   hot pants

   skin-tight very short pants worn by young women as an outer garment

   lederhosen

   leather shorts often worn with suspenders; worn especially by men and boys in Bavaria

   Levi's, levis

   a popular brand of jeans

   plus fours

   men's baggy knickers hanging below the knees; formerly worn for sports (especially golf)

   trunk hose

   puffed breeches of the 16th and 17th centuries usually worn over hose

   type of:

   garment

   an article of clothing
5. noun

   the noise made by a short puff of steam (as from an engine)
   type of:

   noise

   sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)