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.
James, 1923–97, U.S. poet and novelist.
William Bill, 1907–93, U.S. baseball player.
First recorded in 1745–55; generic use of Dicky, diminutive of Dick, proper name
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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
At the presentation of the Veronica Beard Spring 2016 collection in New York Tuesday, a model with her brunette hair slicked back posed in a chambray stretch-linen jacket and a satin straight-collared dickey.
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
"Then will you tell me please why you always glance about so nervously? You look like a dickey bird in a yard full of cats, as Mr. Pope would say."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
“We have asked repeatedly for not just a high-level overview of what happened that day, but for the details, the specific fully transparent details,” Nicole Dickey told NPR shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“The victim’s decision to give us a call and work with our detectives was critical in helping us stop this scam before additional money was lost,” Ventura Police Chief David Dickey said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
“We’re seeing an increase in hardship in general,” said Kelsa Dickey, a Phoenix-based money coach.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
Stephanie Mills, from Dickey Steps Riding School, told BBC Radio Manchester there were lots of emergency vehicles in the area a huge yellow parachute could be seen attached to the pylon.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 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
This year, she designed dickeys that should be in full view, like over a long-sleeve T-shirt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
The founders of Veronica Beard have designed dozens of dickeys that zip into their jackets, including slim-cut blazers, since the inception of their company in 2010.
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
All were clad in blue or dark suits, wore flannel shirts, dickeys and no cuffs.
From A Bed of Roses by George, Walter Lionel
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.
