beanie
Americannoun
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a close-fitting knit cap worn in cold weather.
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a small cap, brimless or with a short bill, often brightly colored, constructed of triangular pieces of cloth joined at the top by a button and popularized in the early 20th century as worn by college freshmen.
noun
Etymology
Origin of beanie
Compare meaning
How does beanie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A beanie is a small, round, brimless hat. It was fashionable for boys to wear beanies in the first half of the 20th century. Traditionally, a beanie was a flat, close-fitting hat without a brim, sometimes also called a skullcap. In the early 1900s, adult workers and young men commonly wore beanies, which eventually evolved into today's baseball cap. The hat was probably named beanie after the bean-sized, cloth-covered button in the center of the cap. In the UK, a beanie is simply a knitted stocking cap.
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.
Sporting black sunglasses and a trademark beanie, the 27-year-old identifies as a queer artist, highlighting the need for expression and acceptance throughout his music.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
The viral photograph of federal authorities apprehending little Liam Conejo Ramos in his bunny ear beanie and Spider-Man backpack stunned viewers across the country, filling them with horror and rage.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026
Biery closed his order with a reproduction of the heartbreaking and now-viral photograph of 5-year-old Liam, wearing his blue doggie-eared beanie, his Spider-Man backpack clutched by an immigration agent.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026
The patron was well covered, wearing a black hoodie, a medical mask and a tan beanie.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
“I like the cold. Not a huge fan of trudging through it, though,” I reply, fixing my beanie and smirking at her.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
