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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

hard hats plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hard hats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hard hat¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of hard-hat²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard hat hard-hat

When opportunity shows up as a hard hat or a pair of overalls, we put them on and get to work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

He’s a cute little fella, decked out in his reflective vest, hard hat and work boots, with his big eyes and a fixed grin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026

He is a Black Brooklyn native who came to the park from work, still dressed in his hi-vis vest and construction hard hat.

From Slate ● May 30, 2024

The ads first aired in 2022 and feature CEO Patti Poppe in a company-branded hard hat while saying the company is “transforming your hometown utility from the ground up.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024

His hard hat was under his arm and his long face was sweating from the hot afternoon sun.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

About 31% of the Dividend Aristocrats ETF is in hard-hat sectors like industrials and materials, which have both rallied by double digits this year.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

While I could only envision the impending displays from a hard-hat tour and renderings, these spaces seem a welcome addition to the full story of Mount Vernon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

He then took a hard-hat tour and happily agreed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

Lodge wore a hard-hat with a company logo and spoke of the need to open up mining on the seabed.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023

They had no official uniforms, but wore helmets of various kinds from army surplus stores, motorcycle shops and hard-hat construction sites, each bearing a small silver decal with “Sheriff’s posse” spelled out in black letters.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• helmet