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dress hat

dress hat

5.3
A tall formal hat for men often covered with silk or fur and worn with a formal suit
  • noun
  • /drɛs hæt/
translation icon : sombrero de gala

Examples

  • A man with a dress hat sat inside.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • He wore a classic black dress hat to the formal gala last night.

  • For the wedding, all the men were required to wear a dress hat as part of their formal attire.

  • His elegant dress hat made a statement at the charity event, drawing compliments from many guests.

Synonyms

top hat
vsdress hat
17 4.3

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

is the standard formal tall headpiece worn on special occasions
beaver
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
3 8.9

A hat made from soft brown fur, popular in the past

is the formal tall headpiece category regardless of finishing material
stovepipe
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
1 9.3

A tall hat with a straight high top once worn by men at formal events

is the broader formal tall headpiece category not only defined by straight sides
stovepipe hat
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
1 9.6

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

is the same formal tall headpiece idea but not limited to historic forms
silk hat
vsdress hat
1 3.9

A tall formal hat with a high crown covered with silk

is the broader formal tall headpiece category not limited to silk finish
high hat
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
7.5

A tall formal hat with a flat top worn by men

is the general formal tall headpiece used for dress occasions
topper
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
9.1

A tall round hat for men worn on formal occasions

is the general formal tall headpiece term rather than an occasion label
traditional topper
vsdress hat
  • UK
8.6

A classic formal hat like a top hat worn at weddings and ceremonies

is the broader formal tall headpiece used beyond specific ceremonies
opera hat
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
8.1

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

is the formal tall headpiece without the special collapsible feature
plug hat
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
9.9

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

is the broad formal tall headpiece type not focused on brim or felt
marrowsky
vsdress hat
  • Archaic
9.9

A tall shiny silk hat like a top hat worn in older times

is the standard formal tall headpiece term rather than an archaic label

How Fancy

fascinator
1 7.5
dress hat
5.3
sun hat
1 1.0

Surface Forms

dress hat singular
dress hats plural

Morphology

dress + hat

The compound combines 'dress' (clothing/formal attire) with 'hat' so the meaning 'a hat worn for formal/dress occasions' is directly inferable from the constituents. This attributive use of 'dress' to mean 'formal' is a common compositional pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely understand the MWE.

Etymology

Dress hat comes from the two words dress (to wear special clothes) and hat, and it gives a picture: a tall, shiny hat men put on when they 'dress up' for formal evenings, like the old top hat. That's why Dress hat means a man's formal hat worn on dress occasions.