Skip to main content
hat

hat

266 7.0
A role someone has in a group or for a specific task
  • noun
  • /hæt/
  • Informal
translation icon : 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.

Autoplay Next

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

5 6.6

To show respect and praise for someone and their achievements

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

old hat
  • Informal
4 7.1

Not interesting or fashionable because people have seen it before

hat in hand
  • Informal
3 7.2

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

To appear suddenly as a surprising solution or idea

1 9.9

Acting important but having no real skill or success

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

1 7.7

To live in a place and make it your home

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

1 9.9

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

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

Fire someone from their job

Make a home and live in a place

7.7

To stop working after a long time

9.9

Adding an extra thing to something that is already enough

To admire and respect someone for what they have done

To decide to do something difficult and not stop

To decide to start something difficult and not change your mind

8.9

Kept secret and not told to other people

Compounds

30 1.7

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

17 4.3

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

14 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

9 3.7

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

4 6.0

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

3 5.1

A hard round hat with a small brim worn by men

3 1.3

A hat made from animal fur to keep your head warm

3 9.9

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

2 3.8

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

A small act that shows respect or thanks

2 2.8

A hat worn for fun, often at parties

1 2.4

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

1 1.0

A shop that sells hats, often for women

1 1.0

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

white hat
  • Jargon
1 5.3

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

1 6.3

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

stovepipe hat
  • Archaic
1 9.6

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

bad hat
  • Offensive
1 8.3

A person who causes trouble on purpose or acts dishonestly

old-hat
  • Informal
1 6.8

No longer new or fashionable

1 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

white hat
  • Jargon
1 3.8

Techniques that follow search engine rules to improve website ranking

1 1.4

A hat made for women that follows fashion

brass hat
  • Jargon
1 8.0

A senior officer who works at headquarters and makes important decisions

1 7.0

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

gray hat
  • Jargon
1 8.1

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

1 2.7

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

1 7.3

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

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

bishop's hat
  • Specialized
9.9

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

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

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

cavalier hat
  • Archaic
9.9

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

7.4

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

cocked hat
  • Archaic
9.3

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

9.9

A stylish hat that catches people's attention

5.3

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

America's Hat
  • Informal
9.2

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

7.5

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

3.0

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

3.7

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

high hat
  • Specialized
5.1

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

high hat
  • Archaic
7.5

A tall formal hat with a flat top worn by men

high-hat cymbal
  • Specialized
5.4

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

opera hat
  • Archaic
8.1

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

9.9

A black hat worn with traditional clothes

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

8.6

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

plug hat
  • Archaic
9.9

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

tin hat
  • Archaic
4.1

A light helmet that construction workers wear to protect their heads

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
533 4.5
director
424 3.0
manager
1.6
hat
  • Informal
266 7.0
assistant
833 1.0
intern
229 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.