dickey
noun
an article of clothing made to look like the front or collar of a shirt, blouse, vest, etc., worn as a separate piece under another garment, as a jacket or dress.
dickey
1 American
[dik-ee]
/ ˈdɪk i /
Or
dicky,
noun
-
dickeys
plural
-
an article of clothing made to look like the front or collar of a shirt, blouse, vest, etc., worn as a separate piece under another garment, as a jacket or dress.
-
a detachable linen shirt collar.
-
a bib or pinafore worn by a child.
-
a small bird.
-
a donkey, especially a male.
-
an outside seat on a carriage.
-
British. rumble seat.
dickey
2
American
[dik-ee]
/ ˈdɪk i /
adjective
Chiefly British Slang.
Dickey
3
American
[dik-ee]
/ ˈdɪk i /
noun
-
James, 1923–97, U.S. poet and novelist.
-
William Bill, 1907–93, U.S. baseball player.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dickey1
First recorded in 1745–55; generic use of Dicky, diminutive of Dick, proper name
Origin of dickey2
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
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:
Online clothing retailer Shopbop gives examples of how a dickey can be worn so customers understand it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
She has used a dickey countless times on photo shoots, she says, because it “ties together things quite nicely but doesn’t bulk up or change the silhouette.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
Ms. Swanson Beard and her business partner, sister-in-law Veronica Miele Beard, knew when they started their company that they had an uphill climb to bring the dickey to an upscale audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
She had a short tawny coat, a dickey of shaggy hair and horns roughly the size and shape of large plantains.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2014
Jane, after some hesitation, eventually decided that a white dickey would be just the thing for Mr. Banks, and she bought Robinson Crusoe for the Twins to read when they grew up.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
Faith Dickey, owner of Elevate Outdoors Guiding, has guided people ages 10 to 69 on highlines set over Moab’s deep canyons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I’m more than thrilled that it’s become a kind of watercooler show,” says Root, who along with co-stars Rhys, Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn, received an Emmy nomination for his performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We do this for CJ, for every young man on that team, and anyone who comes after him, and anyone at any university,” Nicole Dickey told ESPN.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Blink customer William Dickey decided to test the system’s AI prowess at his home in Cushing, Maine, by donning horror-movie masks from his collection, said his wife, April Dickey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Could there really be a whole congregation of people who have never heard of the James Dickey novel and subsequent movie?
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
The dickey’s latest proponent is designer Michael Kors, who earlier this year presented various cool-weather, Art Deco-inspired options, such as long, pointed collars under fitted black sweaters and turtleneck dickeys under sleeveless dresses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
New York-based CeCe Toppings refers to its dickeys simply as “collars.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
The rooms were dense with industry insiders jostling for a closer look at the Beards’ shearling coats, prairie skirts, chunky raccoon furs and, of course, their signature blazer, offered, as always, with interchangeable dickeys.
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2013
Fur and novelty things with fur, such as the fur dickeys we saw at Celine.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2011
There were gentlemen calling, too—your lawyer fellows with cuffs and dickeys!
From Deep Moat Grange by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
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