neat

1
[ neet ]
See synonyms for: neatneaterneatestneatly on Thesaurus.com

adjective,neat·er, neat·est.
  1. in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition: a neat room.

  2. habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits: a neat person.

  1. of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.: a neat cottage.

  2. cleverly effective in character or execution: a neat scheme;a neat solution.

  3. Slang. great; excellent; fine: What a neat car!

  4. clever, dexterous, or apt: She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.

  5. (of liquid, especially liquor) straight (def. 16).

  6. Building Trades.

    • (of cement) without sand or other aggregate.

    • (of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.

  7. net: neat profits.

adverb
  1. Informal. neatly.

Origin of neat

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net “spruce, trim, clean,” from Middle French, from Latin nitidus “shining, polished, handsome, spruce,” equivalent to nit(ēre) “to shine” + -idus adjective suffix; see -id4

Other words for neat

Opposites for neat

Other words from neat

  • neatly, adverb
  • neatness, noun

Words Nearby neat

Other definitions for neat (2 of 2)

neat2
[ neet ]

noun,plural neat.
  1. an animal of the genus Bos; a bovine, as a cow or ox.

Origin of neat

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English net, nete, nette, Old English nēat, cognate with Old Norse naut, Middle Dutch noot; akin to Old English nēotan “to use, possess”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use neat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for neat (1 of 2)

neat1

/ (niːt) /


adjective
  1. clean, tidy, and orderly

  2. liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious

  1. smoothly or competently done; efficient: a neat job

  2. pat or slick: his excuse was suspiciously neat

  3. (of alcoholic drinks) without added water, lemonade, etc; undiluted

  4. a less common word for net 2 neat profits

  5. slang, mainly US and Canadian good; pleasing; admirable

Origin of neat

1
C16: from Old French net, from Latin nitidus clean, shining, from nitēre to shine; related to Middle Irish niam beauty, brightness, Old Persian naiba- beautiful

Derived forms of neat

  • neatly, adverb
  • neatness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for neat (2 of 2)

neat2

/ (niːt) /


nounplural neat
  1. archaic, or dialect a domestic bovine animal

Origin of neat

2
Old English neat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012