apron
UK /ˈeɪ.prən/ US /ˈeɪ.prən/ Syllables: a-pron
Quick answer
A piece of clothing tied over the front of the body to protect clothes while cooking or working.
An apron is a piece of clothing that you tie over the front of your body to keep your clothes clean. Cooks wear aprons in the kitchen, painters wear them in the studio and shop workers wear them behind the counter. An apron usually covers the chest and legs and is held up by a strap around the neck and ties at the back. The word has a small story: it used to be a napron, but people heard it as an apron.
"The chef put on his apron before starting to cook."Example sentences
-
"She tied an apron around her waist before she started cooking."
Level A1
-
"The baker wore a white apron."
Level A1
-
"My apron has a big pocket at the front."
Level A2
-
"Put on an apron so you do not get paint on your clothes."
Level A2
Look-alikes and common mistakes
- overall : An overall covers the whole body, with sleeves and legs. An apron covers only the front.
- bib : A bib is a small cloth tied under a baby's chin. An apron is larger and for adults.
Word family and forms
Forms: aprons
Word partners
Words and phrases that often go with "apron".
- wear an apron
- a kitchen apron
- tie an apron
- an apron pocket
- a cook's apron
- a leather apron
Idioms and phrases
- tied to someone's apron strings
- Too dependent on a parent, especially a mother.
- "At thirty, he is still tied to his mother's apron strings."
Origin
Apron comes from the Old French word napperon, a small tablecloth, built on nappe, tablecloth, from Latin mappa, a napkin. In Middle English the word was napron, and people mistook a napron for an apron, so the n moved to the article. The same thing happened to a few other English words.
Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.
How to remember it
Apron comes from napron. A napron was heard as a napron, so the n moved to the article: an apron.
Test yourself
Which word fits the gap? "She tied an _____ around her waist before she started cooking."
Answer: apron
In your own words, what does "apron" mean?
A piece of clothing tied over the front of the body to protect clothes while cooking or working.
Learn next at A1
- aqua A pale blue-green color, similar to the color of clear seawater.
- aquarium A glass tank where fish and other water animals are kept, or a buildin...
- arcade A place with coin-operated games, or a covered passage lined with shop...
- arctic Relating to the very cold region around the North Pole.
- are The form of "be" used with you, we, they, or a plural noun.
- area A particular part of a place, or the size of a surface measured in squ...
Sources and credits
- Wiktionary, the free dictionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) · used for the origin · checked Oct 19, 2026
- Dictionary.com · used for the origin · checked Oct 19, 2026
Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Report a mistake on this page