mackintosh
noun
a raincoat made of rubberized cloth.
Jump to:
-
mackintosh
-
Mackintosh
MackintoshnounCharles Rennie 1868–1928, Scottish architect and designer.
mackintosh
1 American
[mak-in-tosh]
/ ˈmæk ɪnˌtɒʃ /
Or
macintosh
noun
-
a raincoat made of rubberized cloth.
-
such cloth.
-
Chiefly British. any raincoat.
Mackintosh
2
American
[mak-in-tosh]
/ ˈmæk ɪnˌtɒʃ /
noun
mackintosh
1
British
/ ˈmækɪnˌtɒʃ /
noun
-
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized cloth
-
such cloth
-
any raincoat
Mackintosh
2
British
/ ˈmækɪnˌtɒʃ /
noun
-
Sir Cameron ( Anthony ). born 1946, British producer of musicals and theatre owner; his productions include Cats (1981), Les Misérables (1985), Miss Saigon (1987), and My Fair Lady (2001)
-
Charles Rennie. 1868–1928, Scottish architect and artist, exponent of the Art Nouveau style; designer of the Glasgow School of Art (1896)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mackintosh
1830–40; after Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), its inventor
Explanation
A mackintosh is a kind of raincoat. If you have to walk your dog in the pouring rain, you may want to wear a mackintosh. You may think of a particular brand of computer or a piece of fruit when you see the word mackintosh, but those are spelled differently. Mackintosh is the name for a long, waterproof jacket, particularly in the U.K. The word is sometimes used for other waterproof items, like a mackintosh hat, and it's often abbreviated as mac. In 1823, a Scot named Charles Macintosh invented a waterproofing process, and the word (spelled both with and without a "k") stuck.
Vocabulary lists containing mackintosh
"The Open Window"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Academic Vocabulary, Literary Terms, and Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Mackintosh recalled spending 15 consecutive hours fine-tuning around 25,000 lines of code in an application.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
The trouble, columnist James Mackintosh writes, is knowing when.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
James Mackintosh is the WSJ’s senior markets columnist writing about global financial and macroeconomic trends.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
I was working with Cameron Mackintosh, who was, at that time, not an established producer.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025
And here they had put on a show, and Cameron Mackintosh, the most powerful man on Broadway, was celebrating with them, shaking their hands, telling everyone that they had been “brilliant, just brilliant!”
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
