VocabauraVOCABAURA

garter

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A band worn around the leg to hold up a stocking.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gahrter

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɑɹtɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve)

  2. philippines

    An elastic band encircling any article of clothing.

verb

  1. Fasten with or as if with a garter

  2. intransitive

    To wear a garter

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve)

Used this way, garter is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “garter”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

garter snakegarter beltgarter stitchgarter springgarter kingcommon garterred gartergarter inn

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • garter beltnounCompound term

    A wide belt of elastic with straps hanging from it.

  • garter snakenounCompound term

    Any of numerous nonvenomous longitudinally-striped viviparous North American and Central American snakes.

  • garter stitchnounCompound term

    A knitting stitch that results in a pattern of horizontal ridges formed by knitting both sides (instead of purling one side).

  • common garter snakenounCompound term

    A garter snake that is widespread in North America.

  • gardener's gartersnounCompound term

    Perennial grass of marshy meadows and ditches having broad leaves.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve)

supporter

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “garter” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.