Meaning & use
coat
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Meanings
nouncountable
An outer garment with sleeves, worn over other clothes for warmth or protection.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a coat' or 'coats'.
Patterns
- wear a coat
- put on a coat
- take off a coat
It's cold outside, so don't forget your coat.
She wore a long wool coat over her dress.
He hung his coat on the hook by the door.
verbtransitive
To cover something with a layer of a substance.
Grammar: Takes an object: coat the fish with flour.
Patterns
- coat something with something
- coat something in something
Coat the chicken with breadcrumbs before frying.
The pills are coated with a thin layer of sugar.
Dust had coated the furniture while they were away.
Word forms
| plural | coats |
|---|---|
| third person singular | coats |
| past tense | coated |
| past participle | coated |
| -ing form | coating |
Common combinations
- a coat of paint
- The door needs another coat of paint.
- wear a coat
- You should wear a coat; it's freezing.
- coat with
- Coat the fish with flour before frying.
- coat in
- The children were coated in mud after playing outside.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: coat or jacket?
coat vs jacket
A jacket is typically shorter and lighter than a coat, though the terms can overlap.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'coat' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Coat' as a verb means to cover with a layer, and it is used with 'with' or 'in'. 'With' is the most common preposition. 'In' is also possible but less common for food. The other prepositions do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.