hat

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A covering for the head, often with a brim and a shaped top, worn for warmth, protection, or style.

   Grammar: Countable: one hat, two hats; use a/an or a plural.

   Patterns

   • wear a hat
   • put on a hat
   • take off a hat

   She wore a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off her face.

   He hung his hat on the hook by the door.

   The children made paper hats for the party.

2. 2nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   A role or position that someone has, especially in a job or team.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'wear many hats' or 'put on your ... hat'.

   Patterns

   • wear many hats
   • put on your ... hat

   As a small business owner, she wears many hats: manager, buyer, and cleaner.

   For this meeting, I'm speaking as a parent, so I'll put on my parent hat.

Word forms

Common combinations

hard hat

All visitors must wear a hard hat on the building site.

top hat

The magician pulled a rabbit from a top hat.

hat trick

The striker scored a hat trick in the second half.

take off your hat

Please take off your hat when you enter the church.

hat stand

There's a wooden hat stand in the hallway.

Synonyms and how they differ

cap

A cap is a soft hat with a peak, often part of a uniform or sportswear, while a hat can be any shape.

helmet

A helmet is a hard protective hat for sports or work, not for fashion.

headgear

Headgear is a general word for anything worn on the head, including hats, helmets, and scarves.

Word family

hatless adjective

Not wearing a hat.

hatter noun

A person who makes or sells hats.

Commonly confused: hat or cap?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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