hat
- noun
- /hæt/
- Informal
- 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.
- So we've talked about the two hats of reading.
- So you can decide which hat I'm wearing in in with each topic.
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
- Informal
To say you will run for a position, for example in an election
- Informal
In a humble and respectful way when you ask for something or admit a mistake
- Informal
Find a surprising way to solve a problem at the last moment
- Informal
To say things without knowing the facts or that are not true
- Informal
To say you are very sure something will not happen and would do something silly if it did
To decide to start something difficult and not change your mind
Compounds
A hat of thin metal foil people wear because they think it stops mind control or spying
- Archaic
A tall hat with straight sides that people wear with formal clothes in the 1800s
- US
A wide-brimmed felt hat with a high crown that soldiers, park rangers, and state troopers wear
- Jargon
A person who finds computer security problems and sometimes breaks the law to test them
- Specialized
A low, slow-growing plant with leaves that stay green part of the year and cover the ground
- UK
A decorative, often large hat that some women, especially Black women, wear to church on Sundays
- Specialized
A pair of small metal plates on a stand that a drummer opens and closes with a foot pedal
- Archaic
A stiff hat with a wide brim and a front that sticks out often worn by church priests
How Senior
Surface Forms
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.