high hat
noun
high hat
1 American
[hahy hat]
/ ˈhaɪ ˌhæt /
high-hat
2
American
[hahy-hat]
/ ˈhaɪˈhæt /
verb (used with object)
high-hatted,
high-hatting
adjective
high-hat
1
British
adjective
verb
noun
-
informal a snobbish person
-
two facing brass cymbals triggered by means of a foot pedal
high hat
2
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of high hat1
First recorded in 1885–90
Origin of high-hat2
First recorded in 1915–20; v., adj. use of high hat
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.
See Examples For:
"I get dressed up in my full regalia - lab coat, rosette and two foot high hat - and go door-to-door asking for signatures," he says.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2023
I was so inspired by Clyde’s rhythms that in a couple of years my tapping grew into drum sticks with a full drum set of high hat, cymbals, bass and snare drums, with lessons.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2019
That shifts the whole thing and that also shifts the drummer, because now on the high hat, he’s got different work to do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2017
“I think a high hat would work,” Galle said.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 25, 2016
I remember the carriage, the horse going slowly, and up ahead the back of the driver with his varnished high hat, and Catherine Barkley sitting beside me.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
A friend admonished him for the high-hat dismissal, and a chastened Mr. Lloyd fished out the script for a closer look.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
My eyes digest the immensity of fallen trees bracketing the trail, the high-hat shaped fungi that spring from trunks and the thick folds of lichen hanging from branches that obscure the far-off canopy.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2021
A man becomes the manager of a company and must gain back the respect of his workers after taking a high-hat approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2019
Because the visual of that high-hat foam has become such a focus, sometimes people add too much soda to get it.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2019
“Aren’t we getting pretty high-hat with guest lists, and all?”
From Nan Sherwood's Summer Holidays by Annie Roe Carr
Marines, high-hatted bigwigs and sheepish ballplayers, shuffling out of step.
From Time Magazine Archive
Anyway, ever since last year, when one high-hatted member was mugged while en route to the opera, there has been the feeling that to wear a silk topper is to invite trouble.
From Time Magazine Archive
She was moving along with us, her face peering over the half-lowered window, growing suspicious of movie stars who high-hatted their fans.
From Time Magazine Archive
The high-hatted critic of the London Times meditated upon Durante's nose.
From Time Magazine Archive
And waving a cheery farewell with his neat umbrella the good and high-hatted uncle passed away, leaving Cyril and Anthea to exchange eloquent glances over the shining golden sovereign that lay in Cyril's hand.
From The Strand Magazine, Volume XXVII, Issue 160, April, 1904 by Various
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