polo shirt

American

noun

a short-sleeved, pullover sport shirt, usually of cotton or cottonlike knit, with a round neckband or a turnover collar.

polo shirt British

noun

a knitted cotton short-sleeved shirt with a collar and three-button opening at the neck

"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

Etymology

Origin of polo shirt

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Another secondary school in Derbyshire, Alvaston Moor Academy, is now ditching blazers and ties in favour of a black all-weather jacket and polo shirt from September.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

It took something as simple as a white polo shirt and styled it differently for different generations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

José, who wore a gray polo shirt and new jeans, thought about all the time that had passed.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2025

To the left was James Carville, hanging out in his polo shirt and looking increasingly glum as the evening wore on.

From Salon • Nov. 6, 2024

She wore a polo shirt and blue jeans—the same clothes she wore under her white lab coat at work every day.

From "George" by Alex Gino

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023