bloomer
/ˈbluː.mə(ɹ)/
bloomer noun: an ironworker. Also the attributive form of bloomers.
Noun (1)
bloomer (plural bloomers)
- An ironworker.
Noun (2)
bloomer (plural bloomers)
- A large or embarrassing mistake; blunder.
- What's more, I claim that Elmer's biggest mistake wasn't the one he made at Cedarville before six thousand witnesses. His prize bloomer was pulled in Hoboken before three witnesses1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post
- "You know," pursued Reggie seriously, "I think you are making the bloomer of a lifetime over this hat-swatting chappie. You've misjudged him. He's a first-rate sort.[…]1919, P. G. Wodehouse, A Damsel in Distress
- Synonyms:
- aberration, blooper, blunder, boner, boo-boo, break, clanger, cock-up, disadventure, error
- A circular loaf of white bread.
- A blooming flower.
- One who blooms, matures, or develops.
- She was a late bloomer.
Noun (3)
bloomer (plural bloomers)
- A reform costume for women, consisting of a short dress with loose trousers gathered around the ankles, and often a broad-brimmed hat.
- Few garments are so absolutely unbecoming as a belted tunic that reaches to the knees, a fact which I wish some of our Rosalinds would consider when they don doublet and hose; indeed, to the disregard of this artistic principle is due the ugliness, the want of proportion, in the Bloomer costume, a...1884 November 11, Oscar Wilde, “More Radical Ideas Upon Dress Reform”, in Pall Mall Gazette
- Unlike other women landing from the steamers, she was neither short-skirted nor bloomer-clad. She was dressed as any woman travelling anywhere would be dressed.1912 October, Jack London, “The Taste of the Meat”, in Smoke Bellew, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co, →OCLC
- A woman who wears a Bloomer costume.
Proper noun capitalized: Bloomer
Bloomer
- A surname originating as an occupation.
Also used as
bloomer is also the attributive form of bloomers.
Examples of bloomer in a sentence
- That was the only major bloomer in scientific judgment Rutherford ever made.1959, Charles Percy Snow, The Two Cultures:
- After 12 successive league wins[…]Charlton were nobbled by the First Division's no-hopers, who profited from a goalkeeping bloomer then held on to their lead for dear life.2000 March 12, Stuart Barnes, “Swindon stunner for Curbishley”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Synonyms of bloomer
26 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of bloomer
| plural | bloomers |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Bloomer |
Origin of bloomer
From Middle English blomer, from blome (“iron ingot”) (modern English bloom), from Old English blōma.
From bloom + -er.
Named after American women's-rights activist Amelia Bloomer (1818–1894), who sought to introduce this style of dress.
Words formed from bloomer
Words that rhyme with bloomer
Questions about bloomer
- What does bloomer mean?
- Bloomer means an ironworker.
- How do you use bloomer in a sentence?
- That was the only major bloomer in scientific judgment Rutherford ever made.
- What part of speech is bloomer?
- Bloomer can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce bloomer?
- Bloomer is pronounced /ˈbluː.mə(ɹ)/ (UK).
- What is the plural of bloomer?
- The plural of bloomer is bloomers.
Words near bloomer in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: bloomer (page history and authors); Bloomer (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-bloomer.wav.
Cite this entry: “bloomer.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bloomer. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.