Hawaiian shirt

American

noun

a short-sleeved, loose-fitting, open-collar shirt originally worn in Hawaii, made of lightweight fabric printed in colorful, often bold designs of flowers, leaves, birds, beaches, etc.

Etymology

Origin of Hawaiian shirt

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

A big man in a Hawaiian shirt and a Panama hat, Nelson said he gets calls from all over the world when Sept. 30 rolls around.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

Ellinghouse didn’t wear a Hawaiian shirt Friday, but his footwear was flip-flops.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

The moment was captured by a local photographer with Dunn wearing his Hawaiian shirt and Obama looking focused on the game.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2023

One man wearing a Hawaiian shirt leapt over rows of bleachers to get a better signal.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2023

Usually he wore faded blue jeans with a flaming Hawaiian shirt, along with sandals and dweebish white socks, looking like he had just spent the night in a Mexican hotel.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023