coif
1 Americannoun
noun
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a hood-shaped cap, usually of white cloth and with extended sides, worn beneath a veil, as by nuns.
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any of various hoodlike caps, varying through the centuries in shape and purpose, worn by men and women.
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a cap similar to a skullcap, formerly worn by sergeants at law.
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Armor. a covering for the head and neck, made of leather, padded cloth, or mail.
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British. the rank or position of a sergeant at law.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a close-fitting cap worn under a veil, worn in the Middle Ages by many women but now only by nuns
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any similar cap, such as a leather cap worn under a chain-mail hood
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(formerly in England) the white cap worn by a serjeant at law
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a base for the elaborate women's headdresses of the 16th century
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a less common word for coiffure
verb
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to cover with or as if with a coif
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to arrange (the hair)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coifsimple
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coifssimple
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have coifedperfect
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have coiffedperfect
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has coifedperfect
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has coiffedperfect
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am coiffingprogressive
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am coifingprogressive
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are coiffingprogressive
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are coifingprogressive
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is coiffingprogressive
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is coifingprogressive
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have been coiffingperfect progressive
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have been coifingperfect progressive
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has been coiffingperfect progressive
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has been coifingperfect progressive
Past
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coifedsimple
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coiffedsimple
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had coifedperfect
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had coiffedperfect
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was coiffingprogressive
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was coifingprogressive
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were coiffingprogressive
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were coifingprogressive
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had been coiffingperfect progressive
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had been coifingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coif1
Probably a back formation from coiffure, or from French coiffer, its base
Origin of coif2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English coyf(e), from Anglo-French coife, Old French coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, cofea “headdress, sort of cap,” from unattested West Germanic kuf(f)ja
Explanation
Your coif is your hairstyle. If you want to protect your coif in the rain, don't forget to bring your umbrella! In the United States, coif is short for coiffure, which means "fancy hairdo." If you've arranged your hair into complicated braids anchored by bobby pins, go ahead and call it a coif. This word can also be used as a verb. If you're going to a black-tie event, you might want to coif your hair in an elaborate and elegant way.
Vocabulary lists containing coif
The Night Circus
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Little Fires Everywhere
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The Door in the Wall
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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.
See Examples For:
That afternoon in 2025, with his shellacked coif flapping against his bronzed forehead in the wind, the president held up hastily-assembled poster boards bearing the names of the world’s countries and territories.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
His famous coif might be styled to look some version of presentable on TV, but it’s not all that surprising that it looks a little thin from below.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2025
The appearance of Bankman-Fried, who sat with his lawyers, has changed dramatically recently as he has lost weight and trimmed his well-known wild coif into a tightly cropped look more traditional among financial professionals.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
Bankman-Fried’s appearance has changed dramatically in recent months as he has lost weight and trimmed his well-known wild coif into a tightly cropped look more traditional in the world of finance.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
Even Penelope’s own hot-ironed coif was looking a little frizzy, as she talked nonstop about the movie.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
The film keeps pace with Elvis' changing coifs.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2022
She was uncomfortable being tall, and the long, bouncing, curly brown hair that has become one of the most recognizable coifs in women’s basketball wasn’t so admired in high school.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 27, 2022
The sisters epitomized a 1950s sensibility that held up a standard of unreal perfection, wearing identical coifs, dresses and smiles, moving with synchronized precision and blending voices in wholesome songs for simpler times.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2021
Kardashian wore the gown to the Hollywood Beauty Awards, where her escort, hairstylist Chris Appleton, was honored for his work styling the coifs of stars including Kardashian, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, People noted.
From Fox News ● Feb. 18, 2019
It gives me a twinge of sadness, of missing my mother, to see their colorful petticoats—indigo blue and saffron yellow—and white coifs.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Timotheé Chalamet's pale visage and perfectly coifed curls may be the face of the "Dune" franchise, but another powerhouse has emerged.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2024
The couple — he dressed casually, she in heels and with neatly coifed hair — shopped together on Fridays for years, always picking out two steaks for dinner before checking out in Hechler’s lane.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023
But she also walks into every room with her perfectly coifed head held high.
From Salon ● May 6, 2023
Recalling the moment in her late 70s, Mutu’s mother said that what stayed with her most was the beauty of the women’s clothing, the shine of their skin, their elaborately coifed hair.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
Tee cringed and then rolled her eyes beneath her perfectly coifed pompadour.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
His outsider model was adopted wholesale, including by the similarly coiffed Abelardo de la Espriella, whom a few Colombian commentators have jokingly dubbed the "Temu Bukele."
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The brutal homicide of America’s longest-running television newsmagazine was reported last week by its immaculately coiffed and richly compensated frontman Scott Pelley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
But when she arrives at Iona’s apartment, Andie is shocked to see that a coiffed perm, light makeup, a sensible suit and a string of pearls have replaced her friend’s beehives and gelled spikes.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
There were a lot of specials that came out this year, but only one featured a perfectly coiffed bowl haircut, because only Atsuko Okatsuka could pull it off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
Aunty Onenu’s weave was longer and more incongruous than the last, high and coiffed in front, with waves of hair floating to her back.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This Napa dog groomer is responsible for coiffing a Shih Tzu with more than half a million Instagram followers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2019
If the world was really ending, it would probably sound a bit like your post-shower coiffing routine.
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2018
That was clear as Keisel plowed through the crowd with a microphone labeled “Head and Shoulders,” and asked deadpan questions of the various Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks about their coiffing habits.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 29, 2014
It's no wonder animals with names like Beast or Chappie get the farm version of luxury spa pampering - shelter from summer heat, baths with pricey shampoos and careful coiffing with electric razors.
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2013
But often the problem was with the inmates—they could take forever with showering, shaving, and coiffing, trying to get together the perfect self-presentation.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Earring Magic Ken was Mattel’s attempt at making Ken cool by coifing his hair, piercing his left ear and adding a controversial necklace.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023
He looked coldly on the twenty-one celebrated pictures in which Le Brun had represented on the coifing of the gallery of Versailles the exploits of Lewis.
From The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 5 by Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron
None of the daughters are so fair as this, Nor stand with such a grace majestical; She in her locks is like the travelling sun, Setting, all clad in coifing clouds of gold.
From Poems by Jean Ingelow, In Two Volumes, Volume II. by Ingelow, Jean
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
