Jump To:

• bonnet
  bonnet

  noun

  a hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face, formerly much worn by women but now worn mostly by children.
• Bonnet
  Bonnet

  noun

  Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

bonnet

¹ American  

[bon-it] / ˈbɒn ɪt /

noun

• bonnets
  plural

1. a hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face, formerly much worn by women but now worn mostly by children.

2. Informal. any hat worn by women.

3. Chiefly Scot. a man's or boy's cap.

4. a bonnetlike headdress.

   an Indian war bonnet.

5. any of various hoods, covers, or protective devices.

6. a cowl, hood, or wind cap for a fireplace or chimney, to stabilize the draft.

7. the part of a valve casing through which the stem passes and that forms a guide and seal for the stem.

8. a chamber at the top of a hot-air furnace from which the leaders emerge.

9. Chiefly British. an automobile hood.

10. Nautical. a supplementary piece of canvas laced to the foot of a fore-and-aft sail, especially a jib, in light winds.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to put a bonnet on.

Bonnet ² American  

[baw-ne] / bɔˈnɛ /

noun

1. Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

---

bonnet British  

/ ˈbɒnɪt /

noun

1. any of various hats worn, esp formerly, by women and girls, usually framing the face and tied with ribbons under the chin

2. Also called: bunnet. 

   1. a soft cloth cap

   2. formerly, a flat brimless cap worn by men

3. the hinged metal part of a motor vehicle body that provides access to the engine, or to the luggage space in a rear-engined vehicle

4. a cowl on a chimney

5. nautical a piece of sail laced to the foot of a foresail to give it greater area in light winds

6. (in the US and Canada) a headdress of feathers worn by some tribes of American Indians, esp formerly as a sign of war

---

Bonnet Scientific  

/ bô-nĕ′ /

1. Swiss naturalist who discovered parthenogenesis when he observed that aphid eggs could develop without fertilization. Bonnet was also one of the first scientists to study photosynthesis.

---

bonnet Idioms  

1. see bee in one's bonnet.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bonnetless
  adjective
• bonnetlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bonnets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bonnet

1375–1425; late Middle English bonet < Middle French; Old French bonet material from which hats are made, perhaps < Old Low Franconian *bunni something bound (< Germanic *bund-, noun derivative of *bind- bind; cf. bundle), with -et -et; compare Late Latin abonnis, obbonis ribbon forming part of a headdress < Germanic, with a prefix corresponding to Middle High German obe- above

Explanation

A bonnet is an old-fashioned hat that ties under the chin. Sometimes people dress babies up in frilly clothes and bonnets. A bonnet isn't stiff like many hats are — instead, it's made of soft fabric and has no brim. It was common during the 17th and 18th centuries for women to wear bonnets, to keep their hair tidy and protected from dust and sun when they were outdoors. Today, you're less likely to see a bonnet on a grown woman, unless she's a historical reenactor or acting in a play. The root of bonnet is the Scottish bonat, "brimless hat."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bonnet Bonnet bonnets

Her teachers instantly recognized the pinafore dress and bonnet, but her fellow students didn’t know who she was.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The bonnet of the car was left with two scratches that he estimated would cost up to £300 to get fixed professionally.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

A confluence of extreme weather, disease and pests is making core ingredient Scotch bonnet peppers particularly hard to source, manufacturers tell the BBC.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

The dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

“It’s a love of a bonnet, but I prefer the face inside, for it looks young and happy again,” and John kissed the smiling face, to the great detriment of the rosebud under the chin.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

"Parents have, so to speak, taken power over the schools and started reporting things. Except that not everything they report is necessarily accurate," said Carla Bonnet of the FO union.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

He was the son of married artists Adam Silverman and Louise Bonnet, who are the plaintiffs in the suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

Bite into a Maldivian Scotch Bonnet, and you’ll start to feel your tongue get numb, your forehead sweat and your brain crave a glass of milk.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025

"Just 15 to 20 years ago, sending a kilogram into space cost $60,000," Bonnet told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

The same dress every year, posing with a different Miss Teen Blue Bonnet.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Her first observation: “The bonnets look too fancy for the Ingalls family.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

In Antigua, the shortage of Scotch bonnets has been felt by manufacturers including Homebrew Hot Sauce.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

Meanwhile, one end of the observation car had been filled by several women in white bonnets, joined by men with straw hats, footlong beards and no mustaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

Watching Carrie write this novel, click-clacking away at her keyboard, pondering bonnets and buggies, is equivalent to watching a loved one descend into madness.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2025

He fled at once, and the minute it was well, “Up with the bonnets of bonnie Dundee,” she slipped away to return no more till the young gentleman departed in high dudgeon.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott