sleeve
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sleevIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsliv
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
A protective jacket or case, especially for a record, containing art and information about the contents; also the analogous leaflet found in a packaged CD.
A (usually tubular) covering or lining to protect a piece of machinery etc.
A narrow channel of water.
A tattoo covering the whole arm.
us
A long, cylindrical plastic bag of cookies or crackers, or a similar package of disposable drinking cups.
verb
transitive
To fit and attach a sleeve to an upper garment (e.g. to a shirt, blouse, sweater, jacket, coat, etc.) or to a folder.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
Used this way, sleeve 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.
More ways to use sleeve
- “He rolled up his sleeve to wash his hands properly.”
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Made with sleeves or sleeves especially as specified.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A sleeve for storing a phonograph record.
A sleeve extending from the shoulder to the elbow.
A truncated cloth cone mounted on a mast.
A truncated cloth cone mounted on a mast.
A sleeve with a large armhole and tight cuff.
A sleeve extending from shoulder to wrist.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “sleeve” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary from meanings, examples and other prompts.
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.