Blouse Definition, Examples & Styling Tips

Meaning 1：a woman's blouse (Blouse)

Blouse 🔊

/blaʊz/

A blouse is a piece of clothing for women, like a shirt but often more feminine, decorative, and worn on the upper body.

Woman trying on elegant blouse in clothing store mirror

a woman's blouse 🔊

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/ə ˈwʊmənz blaʊz/

A blouse is a woman's upper garment that is often softer, more decorative, and less formal than a typical shirt, with features like ruffles, lace, or buttons.

📁 Category：Fashion Trends 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From French 'blouse', originally a work smock, later a woman's dressy shirt.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine blowing a gentle breath onto a delicate blouse, causing its ruffles to flutter.

📖 Example

She found a perfect floral blouse at the mall that matched her new skirt beautifully. 🔊 She found a perfect floral blouse at the mall that matched her new skirt beautifully.

🔗 Collocations

silk blouse – a blouse made of silk fabric

button-down blouse – a blouse with buttons down the front

wear a blouse – put on or dress in a blouse

🔄 Synonyms

top (n.) – a general term for any upper garment, including blouses

shirt (n.) – a garment for the upper body, but typically more tailored and less decorative than a blouse

tunic (n.) – a loose, often longer top similar to a simple blouse

🚫 Antonyms

pants (n.) – a lower-body garment, opposite in meaning to an upper-body garment

📖 Cultural Story

Originating in 19th-century France, the blouse was adopted by women as a fashionable alternative to the masculine shirt, later associated with the feminist movement for its professional elegance.