haberdasher
Americannoun
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a retail dealer in men's furnishings, as shirts, ties, gloves, socks, and hats.
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Chiefly British. a dealer in small wares and notions.
noun
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a dealer in small articles for sewing, such as buttons, zips, and ribbons
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a men's outfitter
Etymology
Origin of haberdasher
1275–1325; Middle English haberdasshere, of obscure origin; compare Anglo-French habredache haberdashery, hapertas perhaps a kind of cloth
Explanation
A haberdasher is someone who sells clothes and accessories. Do you need a new suit for your uncle's wedding? You should buy one from the haberdasher downtown. The person who owns or operates a haberdashery, or men's clothing store, is a haberdasher. Both terms are considered old-fashioned these days, although fancy shops still use these terms sometimes. In the UK, if you ask someone to recommend a haberdasher, you'll end up at a store that sells sewing notions like pins, needles, buttons, and so on. In the U.S., the original meaning of haberdasher was a "seller of men's caps."
Vocabulary lists containing haberdasher
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
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The Taming of the Shrew
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All My Sons
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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.
Her father was a haberdasher and she later recalled sheltering from German bombs in the basement of his shop during the war.
From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025
His father was a World War I combat veteran and haberdasher who lost his job and the family home during the Great Depression.
From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2023
Truman had often been dismissed as a onetime Missouri haberdasher who lucked into politics.
From Washington Post • Aug. 8, 2022
He met with a haberdasher to assess his current look.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2019
Soon as I have some money saved, I go into the haberdasher and buy myself a fedora like Fat Frankie’s.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
