Meanings
nounTruman shirt (plural Truman shirts)
plural Truman shirts
- A type of comfortable, vibrant, tropical-printed, short-sleeved, sport shirt.
Bond noted the small grudging mouths of the women, the sun gleaming on their pince-nez; the stringy, collapsed chests and arms of the men displayed to the sunshine in Truman shirts.
1954, Ian Fleming, “Death of a Pelican”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 135
Origin
Named after US president Harry S. Truman who popularised the shirt during his presidency.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Truman shirt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Truman%20shirt
MLA
“Truman shirt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Truman%20shirt. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Truman shirt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Truman%20shirt.
Source: Truman shirt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.