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• hard hat
  hard hat

  noun

  a protective helmet of metal or plastic, especially as worn by construction or factory workers.
• hard-hat
  hard-hat

  noun

  a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.

hard hat

¹ American  

noun

hard hats plural

1. a protective helmet of metal or plastic, especially as worn by construction or factory workers.

2. a uniformed soldier of a regular army, as opposed to a guerrilla.

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hard-hat ² American  

[hahrd-hat] / ˈhɑrdˌhæt /

Or hardhat

noun

Informal.

1. a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.

2. a working-class conservative.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of hard-hats.

   enlisting hard-hat support for his policies.

hard hat British  

noun

1. a hat made of a hard material for protection, worn esp by construction workers, equestrians, etc

2. informal a construction worker

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adjective

1. informal characteristic of the presumed conservative attitudes and prejudices typified by construction workers

hard hat Idioms  

1. A working-class ultraconservative. For example, They were counting on a large number of votes from the hard hats. This term alludes to the rigid protective headgear worn by construction workers, who were noted for their conservatism during the tumultuous 1960s. [c. 1960]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hard hats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hard hat¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of hard-hat²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard hat hard-hat

In a hard hat and hi-viz vest, Asdourian appears climbing ladders to tape- and marker-over all mentions of the brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

On nearby benches, one person in scrubs and another in a reflective vest and hard hat ate their Tupperware lunches, like some kind of Village People reboot waiting to happen.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2025

He wore a hard hat as he led a group to the gaping, horseshoe-shaped mouth of the tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2025

The ads first aired in 2022 and feature CEO Patti Poppe in a company-branded hard hat while saying the company is “transforming your hometown utility from the ground up.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024

There’s a hard hat in Mrs. Strawberry’s barn.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

After years of favoring almost exclusively tech stocks connected to artificial intelligence, investors suddenly can’t get enough of hard-hat sectors such as energy, materials, and industrials.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

While I could only envision the impending displays from a hard-hat tour and renderings, these spaces seem a welcome addition to the full story of Mount Vernon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

After taking a hard-hat tour of it last month, I excitedly called Frank and predicted it would be a game changer for downtown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

Lodge wore a hard-hat with a company logo and spoke of the need to open up mining on the seabed.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023

He tightened the hard-hat straps, striding brusquely to the door.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• helmet