sleeve
the part of a garment that covers the arm, varying in form and length but commonly tubular.
a protective container, usually thin and flexible with an opening on one side for insertion or removal of an item, as a paper storage envelope for a phonograph record, or a padded case for a tablet or other electronic device: a form-fitting laptop sleeve;a 24-sleeve CD wallet.
a pliable tubular or rectangular container for crackers, cookies, and the like that is typically opened at one end to remove individual servings: I ate a whole sleeve of shortbreads before I realized how many calories that is!The largest box has four sleeves of saltines inside.
Machinery. a tubular piece, as of metal, fitting over a rod or the like.
a pattern of tattoos that covers the arm from shoulder to wrist in one integrated piece of tattoo art: I got my first tattoo when I turned 18, and by 28 I had full sleeves on both arms.
to furnish with sleeves.
Machinery. to fit with a sleeve; join or fasten by means of a sleeve.
Idioms about sleeve
have something up one's sleeve, to have a secret plan, scheme, opinion, or the like: I could tell by her sly look that she had something up her sleeve.
laugh up / in one's sleeve, to be secretly amused or contemptuous; laugh inwardly: to laugh up one's sleeve at someone's affectations.
Origin of sleeve
1Other words from sleeve
- sleeve·like, adjective
- un·sleeved, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for sleeve
/ (sliːv) /
the part of a garment covering the arm
a tubular piece that is forced or shrunk into a cylindrical bore to reduce the diameter of the bore or to line it with a different material; liner
a tube fitted externally over two cylindrical parts in order to join them; bush
a flat cardboard or plastic container to protect a gramophone record: US name: jacket
roll up one's sleeves to prepare oneself for work, a fight, etc
up one's sleeve secretly ready
(tr) to provide with a sleeve or sleeves
Origin of sleeve
1Derived forms of sleeve
- sleeveless, adjective
- sleevelike, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with sleeve
see card up one's sleeve; laugh up one's sleeve; roll up one's sleeves; wear one's heart on one's sleeve.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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