pret
pret — adjective
- pretpositive
- prettercomparative
- prettestsuperlative
1. of garments made in fixed sizes for general sale, rather than sewn to fit one pe
of garments made in fixed sizes for general sale, rather than sewn to fit one person's measurements.
Henrik picked a pret blazer off the rack in his usual size and wore it to the interview that afternoon.
pret + noun for off-the-rack clothing
Antonia found the pret trousers too long for her short legs, so she asked a seamstress to hem them.
Sora prefers pret shirts because custom tailoring takes too long and costs far more.
The boutique's pret collection sold out in three days, drawing customers who normally visit a tailor.
Adina bought a pret dress online, slipped it on at home, and found it fit perfectly — no tailor needed.
- off-the-rack
common in American English; slightly more casual than 'pret'
- ready-to-wear
the full English equivalent; neutral and used in both casual and industry contexts
- off-the-peg
common in British English; same register as 'off-the-rack'
- bespoke
made to order for a specific customer's measurements
- tailored
adjusted or sewn to fit one individual person
- custom-made
created according to a single buyer's specifications
文法句型
pret + noun
用法筆記
Short for prêt-à-porter (French for 'ready to wear'). Used mainly in the fashion industry. In everyday English, speakers say 'off-the-rack' (US) or 'off-the-peg' (UK) instead.
常見錯誤
pret — noun
1. factory-made clothing sold in standard sizes in shops, rather than custom-sewn b
factory-made clothing sold in standard sizes in shops, rather than custom-sewn by a tailor for one person.
Tomás rarely buys pret; he enjoys visiting his tailor for every new jacket and shirt.
Evelyn's shop in the old town specialises in affordable pret that looks elegant without the bespoke price tag.
affordable pret — mass noun for ready-to-wear garments
Nkechi filled two suitcases with pret — blouses, skirts, and two jackets — from the London high street during her trip.
Ayesha compared the cost of pret against having a dress made and chose the ready-made option.
Mert launched his own line of pret last spring; the first batch of cotton dresses sold out in a week.
- ready-to-wear
the most common equivalent noun phrase in everyday English
- off-the-rack clothing
American English; slightly more casual
- off-the-peg clothing
British English equivalent of 'off-the-rack'
- bespoke clothing
garments made to order for a specific customer
- tailor-made garments
clothing sewn to fit one individual's measurements
用法筆記
Always used as a mass (uncountable) noun. You cannot say 'a pret' or 'three prets.'
常見錯誤
pret — abbreviation
1. a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books to mark a verb as being in
a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books to mark a verb as being in its simple past form. It stands for the word 'preterit' or 'preterite.'
The dictionary entry for 'sing' listed 'pret sang,' telling Ezra the simple past form right away.
'pret' as a dictionary abbreviation for the preterit
Ari copied the verb table into his notebook, marking each past form with 'pret' as the textbook showed.
Wei raised her hand and asked the teacher what 'pret' meant beside each verb on the grammar handout.
Kabir, a first-year linguistics student, memorised that 'pret' in his textbook marked the simple past form.
用法筆記
Found only in dictionaries, grammar textbooks, and linguistics writing. Not used in everyday spoken or written English.