pant
pant Lexical Profile
pant Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To breathe with short, quick, labored breaths, typically from physical exertion, heat, or excitement.
"The dog began to pant heavily after chasing the ball across the sunny park."
To utter or say something while breathing in short, quick gasps.
"He managed to pant a brief warning before collapsing into the chair."
To long or yearn eagerly and breathlessly for something.
"The ambitious young actors were all panting for a chance to perform on the main stage."
• noun
A short, quick, labored breath or gasp, typically caused by physical exertion, heat, or excitement.
"The runner crossed the finish line and let out a heavy pant of exhaustion."
North American An outer garment covering the body from the waist to the ankles, divided into two separate sections for the legs (used chiefly in the plural or in the retail trade).
"The tailor offered a classic wool pant designed for formal office wear."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the garment, the plural form 'pants' is standard in everyday usage, while the singular 'pant' is used primarily in the fashion and retail industries or as a modifier in compounds like 'pant leg'.
• Rhymes for pant
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The breathing sense derives from Middle English 'panten', from Old French 'pantoisier' (to gasp or be out of breath), ultimately from Greek 'phantasioun' (to have visions or nightmares). The garment sense is a 19th-century shortening of 'pantaloons', named after Pantalone, a stock character in Italian commedia dell'arte.