Corset

//ˈkɔː(ɹ).sɪt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A woman's foundation garment, reinforced with stays, that supports the waistline, hips and bust.
  2. 2
    a woman's close-fitting foundation garment wordnet
  3. 3
    A tight-fitting gown or basque worn by both men and women during the Middle Ages. historical
  4. 4
    A regulation that limited the growth of British banks' interest-bearing deposits. UK, historical
Verb
  1. 1
    To enclose in a corset; to wear a corset. transitive

    "Mabel dreaded the upcoming ball and the preliminary corseting it would entail."

  2. 2
    dress with a corset wordnet
  3. 3
    To restrict or confine. figuratively

    "I will not remain corseted by your notions of what is and is not proper!"

Synonyms

All synonyms
staysstaysadvocatealpenstockarmathletic supporter

Example

More examples

"A corset, if one is worn, should not extend below the waist-line, and should have elastic side-lacing."

Etymology

From Middle English corset, from Old French corset. Equivalent to corse + -et.

Related phrases

corset effectdiaper corsethourglass corsetneck corsetfoundation garmentmiddle ages

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.