menswear: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to formal, especially in retail/fashion contexts.
Quick answer
What does “menswear” mean?
Clothing designed and manufactured for men.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Clothing designed and manufactured for men.
The retail sector or department of a store dedicated to selling men's clothing and accessories.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major difference in core meaning. The spelling is consistent. The term 'men's wear' (with an apostrophe) is occasionally seen, but the closed compound 'menswear' is standard in both.
Connotations
Identical. Both imply a formal or retail-oriented context for men's clothing.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties, primarily in fashion, retail, and marketing contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “menswear” in a Sentence
work in menswearspecialise in menswearthe menswear departmenta menswear retailerVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “menswear” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [Not applicable; 'menswear' is exclusively a noun.]
American English
- [Not applicable; 'menswear' is exclusively a noun.]
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable; 'menswear' is not used as an adverb.]
American English
- [Not applicable; 'menswear' is not used as an adverb.]
adjective
British English
- He's a menswear designer.
- She attended the menswear trade show.
American English
- He works as a menswear buyer.
- The store launched a new menswear line.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in retail reports, e.g., 'The company's menswear division saw strong Q3 growth.'
Academic
Rare; might appear in fashion history or sociology of dress studies.
Everyday
Used when shopping, e.g., 'I'm heading to the menswear section.'
Technical
Standard term in the fashion and retail industries for product categorization.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “menswear”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “menswear”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “menswear”
- Treating it as a plural countable noun (e.g., 'three menswears').
- Misspelling as 'mensware' or 'men's wear' in formal writing where the closed compound is preferred.
- Using it to refer to a single item of clothing (e.g., 'I bought a nice menswear').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an uncountable (mass) noun. You refer to 'menswear' as a category, not individual items.
'Menswear' (as a closed compound) is the most common and standard spelling in modern English, especially in retail and fashion contexts. 'Men's wear' with an apostrophe is occasionally seen but is less standard.
Typically, no. 'Menswear' specifically refers to clothing for adult men. Clothing for boys is usually called 'boyswear' or 'childrenswear'.
Yes, the direct equivalent is 'womenswear'.
Clothing designed and manufactured for men.
Menswear is usually neutral to formal, especially in retail/fashion contexts. in register.
Menswear: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmɛnz.wɛə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmɛnz.wɛr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms specific to this word]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: MENS clothes you WEAR = MENSWEAR.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMMERCIAL CATEGORY IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'in menswear').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 'menswear' correctly?