coat hanger

American

noun

hanger.

coat hanger British

noun

a curved piece of wood, wire, plastic, etc, fitted with a hook and used to hang up clothes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of coat hanger

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

The coat hanger became the symbol for legalization.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Its included slimline coat hanger kept everything nice and tidy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

And anyone who compares a copper wire with a steel coat hanger will quickly discern that copper is much more pliable than steel.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2024

Think of tugging gently on the bottom of a wire coat hanger and seeing it bounce back into shape when you let go.

From Scientific American • Feb. 22, 2023

Each team is given a backpack, a flashlight, a coat hanger, and a crowbar.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023