The sleeves of a coat, shirt, or other item of clothing are the parts that cover your arms.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
He wore a black band on the left sleeve of his jacket. [+ of]
2. countable noun [noun NOUN]
A record sleeve is the stiff envelope in which a record is kept.
[mainly British]
There are to be no pictures of him on the sleeve of the new record. [+ of]
...an album sleeve.
regional note: in AM, usually use jacket
3.
See wear one's heart on one's sleeve
4.
See have sth up one's sleeve
sleeve in British English
(sliːv)
noun
1.
the part of a garment covering the arm
2.
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
3.
a tube fitted externally over two cylindrical parts in order to join them; bush
4.
a flat cardboard or plastic container to protect a gramophone record
US name: jacket
5. roll up one's sleeves
6. up one's sleeve
verb
7. (transitive)
to provide with a sleeve or sleeves
Derived forms
sleeveless (ˈsleeveless)
adjective
sleevelike (ˈsleeveˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English slīf, slēf; related to Dutch sloof apron
sleeve in American English
(sliv)
noun
1.
that part of a garment that covers an arm or part of an arm
2.
a tube or tubelike part fitting over or around another part
3.
a thin paper or plastic cover for protecting a phonograph record, usually within a jacket (sense 2) jacket (sense 2b)
4.
a drogue towed by an airplane for target practice
verb transitiveWord forms: sleeved or ˈsleeving
5.
to provide or fit with a sleeve or sleeves
Idioms:
up one's sleeve
Word origin
ME sleve < OE sliefe, akin to Du sloof, apron: for IE base see slip3
sleeve in Automotive Engineering
(sliv)
Word forms: (regular plural) sleeves
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
The sleeve of an engine cylinder is its hard metal lining.
The cylinders used replaceable sleeves to avoid costly rebores if the engine needs to be reconditioned.
With the cylinder head removed, the bores can be checked for size and whether ornot the block has a sleeve or sleeves.
The cylinder sleeve is a replaceable liner that is put into the cylinder block to form the cylinder bore.
sleeve in Mechanical Engineering
(sliv)
Word forms: (regular plural) sleeves
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Machinery and components)
A sleeve is a tube of material that is put into a cylindrical bore, for example to reduce the diameter of the bore or to line it with a different material.
Sometimes there is a metal sleeve in the bore to give it more strength.
The pistons run directly in the bores without using cast iron sleeves.
A sleeve is a tube of material that is put into a cylindrical bore, for example to reducethe diameter of the bore or to line it with a different material.
More idioms containing
sleeve
wear your heart on your sleeve
have something up your sleeve
laugh up your sleeve
Examples of 'sleeve' in a sentence
sleeve
She tugged sharply on his sleeve to get his attention, then gestured to the tin.
MacNeill, Alastair THE DEVIL'S DOOR (2002)
He sat back exhausted with one wrist still stuck in a sleeve 's gullet.
Robert Wilson BLOOD IS DIRT (2002)
Hillsden fingered the newspapers in the way a blind man touches the sleeve of a long-lost friend.
Forbes, Bryan THE ENDLESS GAME (2002)
He slipped it into its plastic sleeve, then tucked the wallet in his back pocket.
Karin Slaughter BLINDSIGHTED (2002)
Word lists with
sleeve
parts of clothes, parts of clothing
In other languages
sleeve
British English: sleeve /sliːv/ NOUN
The sleeves of a coat, shirt, or other item of clothing are the parts that cover your arms.
...a shirt with long sleeves.
American English: sleeve
Arabic: كِمّ
Brazilian Portuguese: manga roupa
Chinese: 衣袖
Croatian: rukav
Czech: rukáv
Danish: ærme
Dutch: mouw
European Spanish: manga
Finnish: hiha
French: manche
German: Ärmel
Greek: μανίκι
Italian: manica
Japanese: 袖
Korean: 소매
Norwegian: erme
Polish: rękaw
European Portuguese: manga roupa
Romanian: mânecă
Russian: рукав
Latin American Spanish: manga
Swedish: ärm
Thai: แขนเสื้อ
Turkish: kol ağzı
Ukrainian: рукав
Vietnamese: tay áo
All related terms of 'sleeve'
cap sleeve
a very short sleeve on a woman's dress, blouse , etc., fashioned by lengthening only the outer shoulder area of the garment to form a caplike extension
half-sleeve
a sleeve that reaches to around the elbow
sleeve note
The sleeve notes are short pieces of writing on the covers of records, which tell you something about the music or the musicians .
wind sleeve
a truncated cone of textile mounted on a mast so that it is free to rotate about a vertical axis: used, esp at airports , to indicate the local wind direction
bishop sleeve
a full sleeve gathered at the wrist
dolman sleeve
a sleeve that is very wide at the armhole and tapers to a tight wrist
raglan sleeve
a sleeve that begins at the neck and has a long, slanting seam line from the neck to the armhole , giving the garment a relatively undefined shoulder
record sleeve
the outer covering of a phonograph record
shirt-sleeve
in, or suitable for being in, one's shirt sleeves
sleeve board
a small ironing board for pressing sleeves , fitted onto an ironing board or table
sleeve notes
the printed information on a record sleeve
sleeve valve
(in an internal-combustion engine ) a valve in the form of a thin steel sleeve fitted between the cylinder and piston and having a reciprocating and rotary oscillation movement
balloon sleeve
a sleeve fitting tightly from wrist to elbow and becoming fully rounded from elbow to shoulder
batwing sleeve
a sleeve of a garment with a deep armhole and a tight wrist
gatefold sleeve
a record sleeve that opens out like a book
set-in sleeve
a sleeve sewn into a shoulder seam or armhole as opposed to a neck seam
up one's sleeve
secretly ready
windsock
a truncated cone of textile mounted on a mast so that it is free to rotate about a vertical axis : used, esp at airports , to indicate the local wind direction
card up one's sleeve
a plan or resource kept secret or held in reserve
laugh up one's sleeve
to laugh or have grounds for amusement , self-satisfaction, etc, secretly
laugh up your sleeve
to be secretly amused by something, for example because someone has done something very badly , or because you know something that nobody else knows. This expression is usually used to show disapproval .
leg-of-mutton sleeve
a sleeve on a woman's garment that is loose on the arm but tight at the wrist
leg-o'-mutton sleeve
a sleeve on a woman's garment that is loose on the arm but tight at the wrist
an ace up one's sleeve
a hidden and powerful advantage
have sth up one's sleeve
If you have something up your sleeve , you have an idea or plan which you have not told anyone about. You can also say that someone has an ace , card , or trick up their sleeve .
have something up your sleeve
to have a secret idea or plan which you can use to gain an advantage over other people
wear your heart on your sleeve
to allow your feelings to be obvious to everyone around you
wear one's heart on one's sleeve
If you wear your heart on your sleeve , you openly show your feelings or emotions rather than keeping them hidden .