noun
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the act or an instance of cutting the hair
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the style in which hair has been cut
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slang stock exchange a percentage of the value of an asset deducted to account for a possible fall in its value before it can be liquidated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of haircut
Explanation
A haircut is what a barber does when he trims your hair with scissors. You might decide it's time for a haircut when your bangs are hanging in your eyes. Some people go to fancy salons for a haircut, while others visit a barber or trust a friend to give them a haircut. You can call the resulting style — the layered sides or shaved neck — a haircut too. If your haircut is striking or unusual, like a spiky purple Mohawk, you'll probably get lots of comments and admiring glances. The haircut is believed to date from A.U.C. 454, in ancient Rome.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For some, particularly companies that raised money at highflying private-market valuations, IPOs might have to take a valuation haircut.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Your financial adviser — bless his expensive haircut — only knows about the fake one.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
In the dugout dressed in his uniform, Miguel Gonzalez has his scissors out giving a free haircut to a teammate.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
That would be a 14% haircut from current prices.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
The hair short and bristly from the morning haircut, the head this moment vulnerable, helpless, and loathed.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
