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Showing results for at the drop of a hat. Search instead for do it at the drop of a hat.
Synonyms

at the drop of a hat

Idioms  

  1. Immediately, without delay, as in We were ready to pack our bags and go on vacation at the drop of a hat. This phrase probably alludes to signaling the start of a race or other contest by dropping a hat. [Late 1800s]

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.

You can't find me a boxer from middleweight to heavyweight who wouldn't fight Paul at the drop of a hat for the type of money on display.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

To summon such challenging and intricate music at the drop of a hat is another of the band’s magic tricks.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024

For the women, it’s Lake, with her pixie cut, newscaster makeup, perfectly composed look, and tendency to start yelling in your face at the drop of a hat.

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2024

“It is simply not feasible for them all to fly to Boise at the drop of a hat occasioned by the Attorney General’s rush to obtain a death warrant,” the attorneys said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2022

Abbey can cry at the drop of a hat.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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.