clerical collar

American  

noun

1. a stiff, narrow, bandlike white collar fastened at the back of the neck, worn by certain clerics.

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clerical collar British  

noun

1. Informal name: dog collar.  a stiff white collar with no opening at the front that buttons at the back of the neck; the distinctive mark of the clergy in certain Churches

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Etymology

Origin of clerical collar

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025

“I was wearing my clerical collar, a big old cross necklace, you know, basically everything that you can to identify yourself as not exactly a rioter.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025

GOSFORD, Australia — The Rev. Rod Bower, Australia’s most famous gadfly in a clerical collar, strolled behind a crowd of demonstrators at a busy street corner, admiring their handmade protest signs.

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2021

She thought she had the flu: body aches, exhaustion, a low-grade fever and a swollen neck that fit uncomfortably tight in her clerical collar.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2020

When one of the prosecution witnesses described how Raymond Mhlaba had worn a clerical collar as a disguise, Dennis took to calling him Reverend Mhlaba.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela