jumper
jumper Lexical Profile
jumper Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A knitted garment worn over the upper body to keep warm; a sweater or pullover.
"She wore a thick woolen jumper to protect herself from the freezing wind blowing off the coast."
American A sleeveless dress typically worn over a blouse, shirt, or light sweater.
"For her school uniform, she wore a navy blue jumper over a crisp white collared shirt."
A person, animal, or thing that jumps, such as an athlete competing in a track and field event, a horse in a steeplechase, or a short wire used to complete an electrical circuit.
"The long jumper broke the university record during the regional championship meet."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Jumper" is a classic dialectal false friend: in British and Australian English it refers to a knitted sweater or pullover, whereas in American English it denotes a sleeveless dress typically worn over a blouse (known in the UK as a pinafore).
• Rhymes for jumper
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived in the mid-19th century from a dialectal word 'jump' meaning a short coat, likely influenced by the verb 'jump' (implying a garment quickly thrown on). The suffix '-er' was added to denote the garment or the person performing a leap.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.