Hat Definition: Pronunciation, Examples and Quiz

The description of “hat” shows its best when you put it in real-world situations and sentences. Just like the examples we prepared.

Since you know the meaning of a “hat,” you can go beyond and learn some synonyms that will make your story about this accessory more interesting.

Related nouns: cap helmet beret

Synonyms (contextual): headdress hood headwear

Common collocations: wear a hat buy a hat a nice hat

There are so many adjectives, verbs, nouns and other parts of speech that you can add to the word “hat”! Check some of them below.

With adjectives: big hat white hat elegant hat

With verbs: put on a hat place a hat tip a hat

With nouns (noun + noun): sun hat cowboy hat bucket hat

You got the answer to “What is a hat?” But what about special phrases? They have different meanings and can make your English more interesting.

• Old hat — describes something that is not original anymore.

  My son said this wardrobe is an old hat, but I got it from my father, so I like it.

• Wear many hats — to cover various roles in a job or life.

  The company is short-staffed. Frank wears many hats: he is a coder, a designer, and a tester.

• Keep something under your hat — used to say that it is better not to talk about something.

  My brother will propose to Helen. He asked me to keep it under my hat and help him.

It is time to check if you can answer, “What does a hat mean?” Check out our fun activities that will help you remember this word better.

You already know how to say “hat” in English, so what about other popular languages? How does this word differ?

If you would like to learn more than “hat” spelling, read the facts that can be interesting for you and help you discover something new.

• The tallest hat appeared in 2024.

  Such a fun record was found in the Guinness World Records, which indicates that the hat was 5.42m tall. Joshua Kiser from the US made a Santa Claus hat: red and large.

• There was a law that required men over the age of 6 to wear a hat on Sunday and holidays.

  Sounds amazing, but Queen Elizabeth I was the initiator of this law. Can you imagine how excited hat shop owners were?

• The UK government set a tax on wearing a hat between 1748 and 1811.

  Another interesting fact is that retailers had to buy a license and put a special stamp on a hat to avoid a penalty.

• Hats have long been symbols of status and profession.

  From crowns and bishop’s mitres to chefs’ toques and police caps, different types of hats have traditionally shown a person’s role, social rank, or occupation in society.

As you can imagine, this accessory is common for people worldwide. That’s why it is presented in many books.