blazer
Americannoun
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blazers
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The flashy and perhaps overwhelmingly bright Chromeo took the Stardust Stage just before 9 p.m., with David Macklovitch donning a T-shirt with a very low neck and a glittering blazer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Whang wore a cheetah print blazer, and Doyle wore a wide-brimmed black hat — they both had on gold and red eye makeup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Arday’s back story—an autistic child of Ghanaian migrants who couldn’t speak until he was 11 and went on to become a trail blazer at Cambridge—came under scrutiny earlier this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
She tries to get most of her children's uniforms second-hand anyway, but always buys the blazer, which costs around £30, as she likes them to have a new one.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
He looked at them for a moment, then stuffed them in the outside pocket of his blazer.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Are ties and blazers on the way out?
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Back on land, the crew donned blazers and burned an old wooden scull in Peterhouse’s garden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
In Thailand, TV presenters removed their blazers on air recently in an effort to encourage citizens to turn down the air conditioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
We’re still bargaining for gold hoops and oversize blazers at Santee Alley, getting dressed up for each other at the Venezuelan coffee shop on Melrose, and dreaming through the colors of Chinatown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Willowy women wearing tailored blazers stride by with silk scarves cleverly draped around their necks.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
