coat

American  

[koht] / koʊt /

noun

1. an outer garment with sleeves, covering at least the upper part of the body.

   a new fur coat; a coat for formal wear.

2. a natural integument or covering, as the hair, fur, or wool of an animal, the bark of a tree, or the skin of a fruit.

3. a layer of anything that covers a surface.

   That wall needs another coat of paint.

4. a mucous layer covering or lining an organ or connected parts, as on the tongue.

5. coat of arms.

6. Archaic. a petticoat or skirt.

7. Obsolete.

   1. a garment indicating profession, class, etc.

   2. the profession, class, etc., so indicated.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a layer or coating: The furniture was coated with dust.

   He coated the wall with paint.

   The furniture was coated with dust.

   Synonyms:

   encrust, smear, lay

2. to cover thickly, especially with a viscous fluid or substance.

   Heat the mixture until it coats a spoon. The boy was coated with mud from head to foot.

3. to cover or provide with a coat.

coat British  

/ kəʊt /

noun

1. an outdoor garment with sleeves, covering the body from the shoulder to waist, knee, or foot

2. any similar garment, esp one forming the top to a suit

3. a layer that covers or conceals a surface

   a coat of dust

4. the hair, wool, or fur of an animal

5. short for coat of arms

6. in disfavour

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verb

1. to cover (with) a layer or covering

2. (tr) to provide with a coat

Other Word Forms

• coater noun
• coatless adjective
• recoat verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of coat

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cote, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Germanic; compare German Kotze, Old Saxon cott “woolen coat”

Example Sentences

Daisy looked at it, and making a sour face she said, “Yuck! Jay Berry, your tongue is so coated, it looks just like the inside of Papa’s shaving mug.”

From Literature

The air was bitter cold, and I wrapped myself tighter inside the thick coat my aunts had made me.

From Literature

Each year the birds must stay on platforms of floating ice for long enough to replace weather-beaten feathers with new, waterproof coats.

From BBC

Residents said a brown residue was then found coating their homes.

From Barron's

But when I really pressed on the memory — when I tried to locate the most sensory detail — it wasn’t the yogurt dip or the crumb coating or even the spice blend.

From Salon

Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap