Meaning & use
visors
Last updated
“visors” is a form of “visor”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Shades that stick out from the front of a cap, or flaps inside a car that fold down to block bright sunlight.
Grammar: Often sun visors in a car, or part of a cap with no top.
Patterns
- flip down the visors
Both drivers flipped down their visors when the low sun glared through the windshield.
The runners wore white visors to keep the sun out of their eyes.
The golf shop sells caps and visors in many colors.
nouncountable
The movable front parts of helmets that cover and protect the face.
Grammar: Used for helmets of motorcyclists, firefighters, knights and similar.
Patterns
- raise the visors
- visors on helmets
The motorcyclists raised their visors when they stopped for coffee.
The knights lowered their visors before the joust began.
Scratched visors can make it hard to see at night.
nouncountable
Clear plastic shields worn over the face to protect it from splashes or droplets.
Grammar: Usually describes face visors in workplaces and hospitals.
Patterns
- wear visors
The nurses wore visors over their masks during the procedure.
Workers in the lab put on safety visors before opening the container.
Hairdressers kept their visors on between clients.
Word forms
| singular | visor |
|---|
Common combinations
- sun visors
- Fold down the sun visors if the light is too bright.
- helmet visors
- Tinted helmet visors reduce glare.
- flip down the visors
- She asked the passengers to flip down the visors.
- face visors
- The hospital ordered more face visors.
- tinted visors
- Racing drivers often use tinted visors.
- welding visors
- Welding visors darken automatically when a spark appears.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peaks
- Peaks is the British word for the brims of caps, whereas visors in that sense often means the cap has no top.
- shields
- Shields is broader, covers many things that protect, and does not suggest a part of a hat or helmet.
- brims
- Brims go all the way round a hat, but visors stick out only at the front.
- eyeshades
- Eyeshades is a rarer, older word for headbands with a small brim that shade the eyes.
Word family
Commonly confused: visors or vizier?
visors vs vizier
A vizier is a senior official in some Muslim countries, pronounced differently from visor, and has nothing to do with hats or helmets.
Practice
Both drivers flipped down their ___ because the low sun was glaring through the windshield.
Choose one answer.
Sun visors fold down to block glare. Mirrors, bumpers and wipers are car parts, but they do not block sunlight.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “visors”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.