Meaning & use
doff
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive
To take off a hat or other item of clothing, especially as a sign of respect.
Grammar: Takes an object: doff your hat. It is not used intransitively.
Patterns
- doff something
- doff one's hat to someone
He doffed his cap as the funeral procession passed.
In the old days, gentlemen would doff their hats when greeting a lady.
She doffed her coat and hung it by the door.
Word forms
| third person singular | doffs |
|---|---|
| past tense | doffed |
| past participle | doffed |
| -ing form | doffing |
Common combinations
- doff one's hat
- The magician doffed his hat to the applauding audience.
- doff one's cap
- The boy doffed his cap to the teacher.
- doff a garment
- She doffed her heavy cloak as she entered the warm room.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remove
- Remove is the general, everyday word for taking something off; doff is literary and almost always refers to hats or formal clothing.
- tip
- Tip means to raise or tilt your hat as a greeting, but you keep it on your head; doff means to take it off completely.
Opposites
Word family
- don verb
- To put on clothing, especially formal or ceremonial items; the opposite of doff.
Commonly confused: doff or don?
doff vs don
Don means to put on clothing, while doff means to take it off. They are opposites and are often confused because they look and sound similar.
Practice
In the 19th century, a gentleman would ___ his hat when greeting a lady.
Choose one answer.
Doff means to take off a hat as a polite gesture. Don means to put on, wear means to have on, and put needs a particle like 'on' to work here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doff”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.