Main Difference
The main difference between Shirt and Sweater is that the Shirt is a garment for the upper body and Sweater is a knitted garment for the upper body.
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Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist).
Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. In British English, a shirt is more specifically a garment with a collar, sleeves with cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons or snaps (North Americans would call that a “dress shirt”, a specific type of “collared shirt”). A shirt can also be worn with a necktie under the shirt collar.
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Sweater
A jumper(British English), or jersey, is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. A jumper is either a pullover or a cardigan, distinguished in that cardigans open at the front while pullovers do not. In American English, a pullover may also be called a sweater. Some British dictionaries include cardigans as a type of jumper, while others do not; in the latter case, there is no hypernym equivalent to sweater covering both pullovers and cardigans.
Sweaters are worn by adults and children of all genders; often over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but sometimes next to the skin. Sweaters were traditionally made from wool, but can now be made of cotton, synthetic fibers, or any combination thereof. Sweaters are maintained by washing or dry cleaning, and the use of a lint roller or pill razor.
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Shirt (noun)
An worn on the upper part of the body, and often has sleeves, either long or short, that cover the arms.
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Shirt (noun)
a member of the shirt-wearing team.
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Shirt (verb)
To cover or clothe with a shirt, or as if with a shirt.
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Sweater (noun)
A knitted jacket or jersey, usually of thick wool, worn by athletes before or after exercise.
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Sweater (noun)
A similar warmth.
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Sweater (noun)
One who sweats (produces sweat).
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Sweater (noun)
One who or that which causes to sweat.
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Sweater (noun)
A diaphoretic remedy.
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Sweater (noun)
One who sweats coins, i.e. removes small portions by shaking them.
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Shirt (noun)
a garment for the upper body made of cotton or a similar fabric, with a collar and sleeves, and with buttons down the front
“tonight he’s smartly dressed in shirt and tie”
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Shirt (noun)
a garment similar to a shirt, made of stretchable material and typically having a short row of buttons at the neck, worn as casual wear or for sports
“a rugby shirt”
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Shirt (noun)
used to refer to membership of a particular sports team
“Smith increased his chances of a Great Britain shirt with a penalty shot save”