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• hard hat
  hard hat

  noun

  a protective helmet of metal or plastic, especially as worn by construction or factory workers.
• hard-hat
  hard-hat

  noun

  a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.

hard hat

¹ American  

noun

1. a protective helmet of metal or plastic, especially as worn by construction or factory workers.

2. a uniformed soldier of a regular army, as opposed to a guerrilla.

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hard-hat ² American  

[hahrd-hat] / ˈhɑrdˌhæt /

Or hardhat

noun

Informal.

1. a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.

2. a working-class conservative.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of hard-hats.

   enlisting hard-hat support for his policies.

hard hat British  

noun

1. a hat made of a hard material for protection, worn esp by construction workers, equestrians, etc

2. informal a construction worker

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adjective

1. informal characteristic of the presumed conservative attitudes and prejudices typified by construction workers

hard hat Idioms  

1. A working-class ultraconservative. For example, They were counting on a large number of votes from the hard hats. This term alludes to the rigid protective headgear worn by construction workers, who were noted for their conservatism during the tumultuous 1960s. [c. 1960]

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Etymology

Origin of hard hat¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of hard-hat²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

When I saw her, brandishing a hard hat and trowel at a housebuilding site, there seemed no question of her going anywhere.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2025

There he is in a hard hat in the bowels of the Federal Reserve building, questioning Jerome Powell over the cost of the renovation.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2025

Also inside the suspects’ car, officers found several jewelry boxes, along with a construction hard hat and a vest, which could be used to get near a home without drawing attention, police said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2024

Wearing a hard hat and with a clipboard in hand, she would accompany maritime inspectors on board ships she’d helped design and examine the product of her labors.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2024

When they landed, Gregor dismounted but couldn’t straighten up without bumping his hard hat.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• helmet