What it means
Your everyday sporty shoes, whether you actually run in them or just stomp about town. It’s the normal UK word for sneakers, from PE kit to pub fits with jeans. If someone in Britain says sneakers, half the room hears Netflix in their accent. And yeah, filthy white trainers get judged hard.
Usage examples
"Bought new trainers, proper box-fresh. Don’t take ’em to the chippy, spill curry sauce, then stand there like the universe’s done you dirty."
"I keep a spare pair of trainers in the car for muddy dog walks."
"He spent a month's wages on limited-edition trainers and won't wear them outside."
"You can’t roll up to the motive in school trousers and mud-crusted trainers, that’s a cry for help."
"I was gonna wear boots but my black trainers were by the door, so laziness won again."
Where it comes from
Trainers comes from training shoe, the practical name for shoes made for sport and physical training. In British English it got shortened to trainers and stuck as the everyday word, while American English drifted toward sneakers. By the late 20th century it was the normal UK catch-all for sporty casual shoes.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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