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
He drew maximum sound from a minimal drum kit, consisting of one snare, a bass drum, two tom-toms, four cymbals and a high hat.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 24, 2021
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
"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious."
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2018
Oh, to wear such a great coat with large buttons and a velvet collar and a squashed-down high hat with a ribbon cockade in the band!
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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
Blaine’s high-hat work here — opening, striking, then closing for a pssssshp — has been credited by Drum magazine as integral for moving the sizzling sound from jazz to rock.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2019
On the track “Sand + Fog,” she employs finger-snapped samples, touches of high-hat driven trap music and esoteric ambient music to create a kind of veil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2018
Must be his high-hat tastes foller him, no matter where he goes–sorter dude, I’d call him, partner.”
From Eagles of the Sky With Jack Ralston Along the Air Lanes by Ambrose Newcomb
Marines, high-hatted bigwigs and sheepish ballplayers, shuffling out of step.
From Time Magazine Archive
Yankee Doodle Boy hits pretty hard at Cohan's early days when, as a flip, conceited kid playing in vaudeville, he high-hatted stagehands, raised hell over his billing.
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
The handsome, high-hatted romantic poured out novels as naturally and easily as she breathed.
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 Phoenix and the Carpet by E. (Edith) Nesbit
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