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Glite Dictionary
to doff a hat

to doff a hat

1 8.8
Take off your hat to show respect or greet someone
  • phrasal verb
: quitarse el sombrero
  • It was customary to doff a hat upon entering the church.

Examples

  • She smiled when the gentleman politely doffed his hat to greet her.

  • He always doffs a hat when entering a church.

  • As the procession passed, he doffed his hat in a show of respect.

  • Please doff a hat when you meet the queen!

  • As the procession passed, he doffed his hat in a show of respect.

  • It was customary to doff a hat upon entering the church.

  • She smiled when the gentleman politely doffed his hat to greet her.

Synonyms

to doff
vsto doff a hat
5 9.9

To take off a hat or other piece of clothing

is the same physical action used specifically to show respect or greet
to take my hat off to
vsto doff a hat
  • Informal
4 6.6

To show respect and praise for someone and their achievements

is expressed by physically removing an item from the head as a greeting
to take your hat off
vsto doff a hat
4 5.9

To admire and respect someone for what they have done

is shown by physically removing an item from the head as a respectful greeting

How Respectful

to salute
  • Formal
118 3.5
to bow
158 1.7
to doff a hat
1 8.8
to nod
521 1.0

Surface Forms

doff a hat infinitive
doffed a hat past
doffed a hat past participle
doffing a hat present participle
doffs a hat third person singular

Morphology

doff + a + hat

The meaning 'to remove one's hat as a gesture' is directly and predictably composed from 'doff' (to take off) + 'a' + 'hat' — a simple verb + object construction. Although 'doff' is low-frequency/archaic, if a learner knows its meaning the phrase is fully compositional and therefore transparent.

Etymology

Doff a hat comes from the old custom of doffing a hat by taking it off to show respect. Removing the hat showed your face and that your hands were empty, so the gesture became a way to say 'to show respect' or 'greet' someone politely.