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hat

hat

47 7.0
A role someone has in a group or for a specific task
  • noun
  • /hæt/
  • Informal
: papel
  • Give me something to hang my hat on, I don't care what it is.
  • many hats
  • multiple hats
  • thinking hat

So we've talked about the two hats of reading.

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Examples

  • Would you please put your White House hat back on for this?

    Academic text (2000)
  • You guys, I'm gonna take the host hat for a moment.

  • Hold on to your hats, folks.

  • Being sweet-talked was old hat, as she did extra work for half the department.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You have to take your hat off to Daniel Dravot.

  • With her choice of title, the artist tips her hat to the weird and zany persuasion of her objects.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Billy's one of the ones that wears the chef's hats and ladles out the food.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • In this project, I have to wear my teacher's hat and guide the students.

  • When discussing the budget, you need to put on your finance hat and analyze the numbers.

  • As a parent, she often has to switch to her coaching hat to help her children with their activities.

Idioms

13 4.2

Immediately and without delay

old hat
  • Informal
9 7.1

Not interesting or fashionable because people have seen it before

9 8.9

Kept secret and not told to other people

4 6.6

To show respect and praise for someone and their achievements

To admire and respect someone for what they have done

To appear suddenly as a surprising solution or idea

hat in hand
  • Informal
2 7.2

In a humble and respectful way when you ask for something or admit a mistake

Find a surprising way to solve a problem at the last moment

1 9.9

Acting important but having no real skill or success

Make a home and live in a place

1 8.7

Fire someone from their job

9.9

A person who acts very silly or seems confused

To make a poor choice at the wrong time

to eat one's hat
  • Informal
9.1

To say you are very sure something will not happen and would do something silly if it did

7.7

To live in a place and make it your home

7.7

To stop working after a long time

9.9

Adding an extra thing to something that is already enough

To say you want to be chosen for a job or position

To say things without knowing the facts or that are not true

To say you will run for a position, for example in an election

To decide to do something difficult and not stop

To decide to start something difficult and not change your mind

Compounds

34 1.7

A hat with a wide brim and a tall top often worn by cowboys

25 4.3

A tall hat with a flat top and straight sides worn with formal clothes

17 2.5

A plastic helmet that people wear to protect their heads on building sites

14 1.3

A hat made of straw that protects the face from the sun

11 3.7

Three scores by one player in the same game, for example three goals

6 6.0

A short public thank you or recognition given to someone, often in writing

5 9.9

A hat of thin metal foil people wear because they think it stops mind control or spying

5 5.1

A hard round hat with a small brim worn by men

4 1.3

A hat made from animal fur to keep your head warm

high hat
  • Archaic
4 7.5

A tall formal hat with a flat top worn by men

4 2.8

A hat worn for fun, often at parties

tin hat
  • Archaic
3 4.1

A light helmet that construction workers wear to protect their heads

3 2.4

A hat made from soft wool with a crease in the top

A small act that shows respect or thanks

white hat
  • Jargon
2 5.3

A person who uses computer skills to find and fix security problems

2 1.0

A shop that sells hats, often for women

2 1.0

A hat with a wide brim that protects your face from the sun

2 3.8

A light wide-brimmed straw hat people wear to protect from the sun

2 5.8

A hat with a wide brim and a tall soft crown that cowboys and ranchers wear

1 3.9

A tall formal hat with a high crown covered with silk

stovepipe hat
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A tall hat with straight sides that people wear with formal clothes in the 1800s

1 7.3

A low, flat hat for men with a short turned-up brim

white hat
  • Jargon
1 3.8

Techniques that follow search engine rules to improve website ranking

1 6.3

A hard felt hat with a rounded crown and a narrow brim often worn by men

cocked hat
  • Archaic
1 9.3

A hat with sides turned up to make points, worn with old formal clothes

high hat
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A pair of cymbals on a stand played with a foot pedal

1 3.7

A small ticket given when you leave a hat or coat to claim it later

slouch hat
  • Australian
1 7.0

A soft felt hat with a wide flexible brim often turned up on one side

A hat with a brim you can turn up or down

1 2.7

A hard plastic or metal hat that protects the head on construction sites

bad hat
  • Offensive
1 8.3

A person who causes trouble on purpose or acts dishonestly

1 7.4

A decorative, often large hat that some women, especially Black women, wear to church on Sundays

old-hat
  • Informal
1 6.8

No longer new or fashionable

1 5.3

A tall formal hat for men often covered with silk or fur and worn with a formal suit

gray hat
  • Jargon
1 8.1

A person who finds computer security problems and sometimes breaks the law to test them

1 7.0

A wide-brimmed felt hat with a high crown that soldiers, park rangers, and state troopers wear

1 3.0

A place in a public building where people leave hats and coats to keep them safe

brass hat
  • Jargon
1 8.0

A senior officer who works at headquarters and makes important decisions

1 7.2

A large, fancy women's hat with a wide brim and decorations

opera hat
  • Archaic
1 8.1

A formal men's hat with a tall foldable crown worn to the theatre

America's Hat
  • Informal
1 9.2

A joking name for Canada because it sits north of the United States

high-hat cymbal
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A pair of small metal plates on a stand that a drummer opens and closes with a foot pedal

1 1.4

A hat made for women that follows fashion

1 7.5

A tall garden flower with a brown cone and drooping yellow or red-brown petals

1 8.6

A lightweight hat made from thin plant material that protects you from the sun

plug hat
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A tall formal hat with a flat top and narrow brim worn by men

1 8.4

A Spanish-style hat with a flat top and wide brim often made of black felt

cavalier hat
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A soft felt head covering with a wide flexible brim and a long feather

bishop's hat
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A low, slow-growing plant with leaves that stay green part of the year and cover the ground

A hat with a wide brim that protects your face and neck from the sun

9.9

A stylish hat that catches people's attention

9.9

A black hat worn with traditional clothes

shovel hat
  • Archaic
9.9

A stiff hat with a wide brim and a front that sticks out often worn by church priests

How Senior

executive
659 4.5
director
129 3.0
manager
∞ 1.6
hat
  • Informal
47 7.0
assistant
813 1.0
intern
234 3.1

Surface Forms

hat singular
hats plural

Etymology

Hat is also used to mean a job or 'role' because different hats once showed different jobs, so putting on a hat meant taking that role. That's why someone who 'wears many hats' has many responsibilities.