fedora
Americannoun
-
fedoras
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fedora
1885–90, said to be named after Fédora, play by Victorien Sardou (1831–1908)
Explanation
A fedora is a felt hat with a wide brim and indentations on top. Many 1930s and 1940s actors wore fedoras in movies. Most fedoras are creased along the top, or crown, and pinched on either side, and they're sometimes trimmed around the center with a wide ribbon. Although fedoras might make you think of 1920s gangsters or Indiana Jones, the earliest fedoras were worn by women, and even became a symbol of the early women's rights movement. The word comes from an 1882 play, Fédora, in which the actress Sarah Bernhardt wore a fedora.
Vocabulary lists containing fedora
Put a Lid On It: Hats, Hoods, and Other Headgear
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The Red Pyramid
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Life Is So Good
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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:
But it didn’t bother Wertheim, who has a flair for patterned loafers and wears a signature red fedora.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
This includes Dolan’s fronting of an embarrassing blues-rock band, often while sporting a fedora, and he inflicts his music on audiences by installing himself as the opener for acts like the Eagles.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The discovery led to an hours-long standoff between police and a suspect found inside the home who was detained while wearing a dark suit, tie, sunglasses and fedora.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
There were 21 bids on the on the Indiana Jones' fedora.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
She was wearing three shades of denim and an old fedora over cropped hair.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Instead of fedoras and pillboxes, hair became increasingly emphasized—and longer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
That meant bringing a splash of West Side Story to the ceremony, with the singer dancing on rooftops and fire escapes with dancers dressed in 1950s-style fedoras.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
In the 12-episode season of “Alive and Well Enough,” the actor, musician and playwright explores his influences and opinions, offering thoughts on everything from fedoras to folk star Arlo Guthrie.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023
“It’s a big deal because if they also ban fedoras, your old college roommate is going to have a nervous breakdown.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
The men in dark trousers, white jackets, and fedoras.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
