blazer
Americannoun
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something that blazes or shines brightly.
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a sports jacket, usually a solid color or striped, having metal buttons and sometimes an insignia on the breast pocket, as one worn by a member of a club, school, or the like.
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a small cooking apparatus using as its source of heat a spirit lamp, hot coals, etc., used especially for preparing food at the table or outdoors.
noun
Etymology
Origin of blazer
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at blaze 1, -er 1
Compare meaning
How does blazer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A blazer is a jacket that is not as formal as a suit coat, but more formal than a cardigan. If you specify a business casual dress code on your party invitation, many people will show up wearing blazers. Another name for a blazer is a sports jacket or sport coat. Traditionally, blazers are made of wool or linen. While they come in various colors, a navy blazer is classic. This item of clothing is considered to be a little bit dressy, but not formal like a suit, tuxedo, or evening gown. The word blazer was originally used in colloquial American English for "attention-attracting thing." In late 19th-century British university slang, it came to mean "bright red flannel jacket."
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.
Then she’s back, her scarlet blazer and marbled scarf bright against the white walls.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
"No one's naive enough to think that mobile phones won't be going off in a blazer or trouser pocket, or even in school bags," McGinty said.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
The tool has a face and a name: Sky, an AI avatar that appears as a woman with short hair and a blazer in its first iteration.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Robbins says she learned to operate industrial sewing machines, which stitch much faster than home machines, create blind hems where the stitching is essentially invisible, and can cuff a blazer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
I turn and see a man in a light-gray blazer and white T-shirt.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
