noun
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the act or an instance of cutting the hair
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the style in which hair has been cut
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slang stock exchange a percentage of the value of an asset deducted to account for a possible fall in its value before it can be liquidated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of haircut
Explanation
A haircut is what a barber does when he trims your hair with scissors. You might decide it's time for a haircut when your bangs are hanging in your eyes. Some people go to fancy salons for a haircut, while others visit a barber or trust a friend to give them a haircut. You can call the resulting style — the layered sides or shaved neck — a haircut too. If your haircut is striking or unusual, like a spiky purple Mohawk, you'll probably get lots of comments and admiring glances. The haircut is believed to date from A.U.C. 454, in ancient Rome.
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:
Some mortgage lenders do a haircut on foreign income — meaning that, to reduce exchange-rate volatility, they reduce the borrower’s usable gross income by a certain percentage.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Goosebumps blossomed on my skin as Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre, he of a stern face and gray haircut worthy of a drill sergeant, beamed while singing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
When he was imprisoned in 2020, he was concerned that he might be forced to get a haircut.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Other inmates would ask the young barber for a haircut before their family members visited, Chapati said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
He could get a haircut from his favorite Cuban barber and then take a hot shower and hang out in the Admirals’ Club, a benefit for those with lots of frequent flyer miles.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Prices for, say, haircuts or hotels can diverge significantly because they can’t be shipped to another location.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Between January and the end of April, Caroline, who has ADHD, carried out 284 sensory haircuts - but the Sensory Studio isn't just for children.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
So he decided to take his local barbershop to the parking lot outside the stadium and offer free haircuts to fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Many frequented aid distribution sites, some got free haircuts from a charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
They stand out in their bright, expensive sneakers, American haircuts, backpacks slung over one shoulder.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
