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

See Examples For:

clerical collar

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

The pastor, a 73-year-old Michigan native and non-denominational evangelical, does not wear a clerical collar and calls himself a Christian activist.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

When he traveled abroad, he cut a handsome figure in his well-tailored gray suit over a magenta shirt with a white clerical collar.

From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2021

He seemed to have forgiven Tessie for breaking off' their engagement years ago, but it was always there in the air between them, like the talcum powder that sometimes puffed out of his clerical collar.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides