collar

American  

[kol-er] / ˈkɒl ər /

noun

• collars
  plural

1. the part of a shirt, coat, dress, blouse, etc., that encompasses the neckline of the garment and is sewn permanently to it, often so as to fold or roll over.

2. a similar but separate, detachable article of clothing worn around the neck or at the neckline of a garment.

3. anything worn or placed around the neck.

4. a leather or metal band or a chain, fastened around the neck of an animal, used especially as a means of restraint or identification.

5. the part of the harness that fits across the withers and over the shoulders of a draft animal, designed to distribute the pressure of the load drawn.

6. an ornamental necklace worn as insignia of an order of knighthood.

7. a narrow strip of leather or other material stitched around the top of a shoe as reinforcement or trimming.

8. Zoology. any of various collarlike markings or structures around the neck; torque.

9. Metallurgy.

   1. a raised area of metal for reinforcing a weld.

   2. a raised rim at the end of a roll in a rolling mill to check lateral expansion of the metal being rolled.

10. Machinery. a short ring formed on or fastened over a rod or shaft as a locating or holding part.

11. (in iron or steel construction) a rigid frame for maintaining the form of an opening.

12. the upper rim of a borehole, shot hole, or mine shaft.

13. Also called bracelet. a narrow horizontal molding encircling the top or bottom of a furniture leg.

14. Glassmaking. merese.

15. Informal.

    1. an arrest; capture.

    2. a person placed under arrest.

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verb (used with object)

• collars,
  present (3rd person singular)
• collared,
  past participle,  past
• collaring
  present participle

1. to put a collar on; furnish with a collar.

   They finally succeeded in collaring the unwilling dog.

2. to seize by the collar or neck.

   We collared the little fellow and brought him, struggling all the while, into the house.

3. to detain (someone anxious to leave) in conversation.

   The reporters collared the witness for an hour.

4. to lay hold of, seize, or take.

5. Informal. to place under arrest.

6. to roll up and bind (meat, fish, etc.) for cooking.

verb (used without object)

• collars,
  present (3rd person singular)
• collared,
  past participle,  past
• collaring
  present participle

1. Metalworking. (of a piece being rolled) to wrap itself around a roller.

idioms

1. hot under the collar, angry; excited; upset.

collar British  

/ ˈkɒlə /

noun

1. the part of a garment around the neck and shoulders, often detachable or folded over

2. any band, necklace, garland, etc, encircling the neck

   a collar of flowers

3. a band or chain of leather, rope, or metal placed around an animal's neck to restrain, harness, or identify it

4. biology a marking or structure resembling a collar, such as that found around the necks of some birds or at the junction of a stem and a root

5. a section of a shaft or rod having a locally increased diameter to provide a bearing seat or a locating ring

6. a cut of meat, esp bacon, taken from around the neck of an animal

7. informal aroused with anger, annoyance, etc

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verb

1. to put a collar on; furnish with a collar

2. to seize by the collar

3. informal to seize; arrest; detain

collar More Idioms  

1. see hot under the collar.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncollar
  verb (used with object)
• collarless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collars
  plural

Participles

• collaring
  present
• collared
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• collar
  simple
• collars
  simple
• have collared
  perfect
• has collared
  perfect
• am collaring
  progressive
• are collaring
  progressive
• is collaring
  progressive
• have been collaring
  perfect progressive
• has been collaring
  perfect progressive

Past

• collared
  simple
• had collared
  perfect
• was collaring
  progressive
• were collaring
  progressive
• had been collaring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will collar
  simple
• will have collared
  perfect
• will be collaring
  progressive
• will have been collaring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of collar

1250–1300; Middle English coler < Anglo-French; Old French colier < Latin collāre neckband, collar, equivalent to coll ( um ) neck + -āre, neuter (as noun) of -āris -ar ¹; spelling later conformed to Latin ( -ar ² )

Explanation

A collar goes around a neck. For a human, it’s the neckband of a shirt or jacket. For an animal, it’s a neckband that attaches to a leash, kills fleas, or makes a poodle feel fancy. The color of your collar says something about what you do. “Blue collar” refers to people who do manual labor while “white collar” refers to people with desk jobs. Animals generally don’t care what their collars look like. When it's a verb, collar means "apprehend" or "arrest," as when a police detective finally collars an elusive bank robber. This meaning arose from the 17th century use of collar, "grab someone by the neck."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collar collars collared collaring

“It’s really a white collar sport now,” said Los Angeles club coach Michael Dyer, who uses a sliding fee scale to keep less-affluent 12-year-olds on his team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

True to form, Joe Lycett wore a polka-dot shorts suit with a purple feather collar.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Bear surrendered his collar in March after a decade of being a very good boy as one of the first dogs in the country to be trained to detect the scent of koala fur.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Gnocchi wears a pink collar with his name on it, an air tag and a red harness with a leash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

People tied their prayers to the branches: a piece of tattered skirt, the edge of a collar.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

These characters, representing mythical beings, are ornamented with fine drapery, ruff collars and jewelry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The work will also build on innovative use of GPS livestock collars to manage grazing more precisely.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Everyone was extremely friendly and on the fashion front, no popped collars in sight — only gym clothes and cool-looking fencing gear: mask, chest protector and underarm protector.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

While some lament the decline of suits and ties, others are relieved to ditch the starchy collars and pantyhose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

She stands up, revealing a black fifties-style dress with crisp white collars.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Wearing a clerical collared shirt, Boateng moves through rows of buses loading passengers before boarding one bound for Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Some members of the Whaleback pack are collared, providing a good starting point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

This is my way of telling you I forgot to wear a collared shirt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Big stock owners are hedging with collared positions—selling upside calls to buy downside puts.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

She collared him and made him stand in one spot.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

To do so safely, Blair suggested collaring and keeping cats close on a well-fitted harness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Their small, fuzzy bodies made collaring them difficult, too.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 25, 2024

Constituents also came to him during off-hours, collaring him when he was shopping.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2021

The UK-based non-profit organisation, Fauna & Flora International, has been involved in efforts to protect the Ustyurt population by establishing a new anti-poaching ranger team and using satellite collaring to monitor saiga movements.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2021

The muck seemed to climb me, rising up my arms, my chest, collaring my throat like a noose.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

• choker