coat

American  

[koht] / koʊt /

noun

1. an outer garment with sleeves, covering at least the upper part of the body.

   a new fur coat; a coat for formal wear.

2. a natural integument or covering, as the hair, fur, or wool of an animal, the bark of a tree, or the skin of a fruit.

3. a layer of anything that covers a surface.

   That wall needs another coat of paint.

4. a mucous layer covering or lining an organ or connected parts, as on the tongue.

5. coat of arms.

6. Archaic.  a petticoat or skirt.

7. Obsolete.

   1. a garment indicating profession, class, etc.

   2. the profession, class, etc., so indicated.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a layer or coating: The furniture was coated with dust.

   He coated the wall with paint.

   The furniture was coated with dust.

   Synonyms:

   encrust , smear , lay

2. to cover thickly, especially with a viscous fluid or substance.

   Heat the mixture until it coats a spoon. The boy was coated with mud from head to foot.

3. to cover or provide with a coat.

coat British  

/ kəʊt /

noun

1. an outdoor garment with sleeves, covering the body from the shoulder to waist, knee, or foot

2. any similar garment, esp one forming the top to a suit

3. a layer that covers or conceals a surface

   a coat of dust

4. the hair, wool, or fur of an animal

5. short for coat of arms

6. in disfavour

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verb

1. to cover (with) a layer or covering

2. (tr) to provide with a coat

Other Word Forms

• coater noun
• coatless adjective
• recoat verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of coat

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cote, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Germanic; compare German Kotze, Old Saxon cott “woolen coat”

Example Sentences

Although the coat "meets UK safety standards", it added, the product has now been withdrawn from sale.

From BBC

Her younger sister might be a candidate for a dupe version of a high-end coat, handbag or pair of sunglasses.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Google Photos AI editor applied my requested coat to just half of my body.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this process, the outer soft tissues of the animal were preserved as a delicate clay coating that settled over the skeleton after burial, forming a mask less than 1/100th of an inch thick.

From Science Daily

His mother later married a British officer and the family relocated to England, where young Stoppard took his stepfather’s surname and “put on Englishness like a coat,” he later said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap