jacket

American  

[jak-it] / ˈdʒæk ɪt /

noun

1. a short coat, in any of various forms, usually opening down the front.

2. something designed to be placed around the upper part of the body for a specific purpose other than use as clothing.

   a life jacket.

3. a protective outer covering.

4. the skin of a potato, especially when it has been cooked.

5. book jacket.

6. the cover of a paperbound book, usually bearing an illustration.

7. a paper or cardboard envelope for protecting a phonograph record.

8. a metal casing, as the steel covering of a cannon, the steel cover around the core of a bullet, or the water jacket on certain types of machine guns.

9. a folded paper or open envelope containing an official document.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put a jacket on (someone or something).

jacket British  

/ ˈdʒækɪt /

noun

1. a short coat, esp one that is hip-length and has a front opening and sleeves

2. something that resembles this or is designed to be worn around the upper part of the body

   a life jacket

3. any exterior covering or casing, such as the insulating cover of a boiler

4. the part of the cylinder block of an internal-combustion engine that encloses the coolant

5. See dust jacket

6. 1. the skin of a baked potato

   2. ( as modifier )

      jacket potatoes

7. a metal casing used in certain types of ammunition

8. Brit name: sleeve.  a cover to protect a gramophone record

9. a folder or envelope to hold documents

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verb

1. (tr) to put a jacket on (someone or something)

Other Word Forms

• jacket-like adjective
• jacketed adjective
• jacketless adjective
• jacketlike adjective
• underjacket noun
• unjacketed adjective

Etymology

Origin of jacket

1425–75; late Middle English jaket < Middle French ja ( c ) quet, equivalent to jaque jack ⁴ + -et -et

Example Sentences

As is tradition, he wore his green jacket as he spoke to reporters from the dais in the media auditorium.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

At one point, in the Oval Office, Trump noticed a speck on Macron’s coat jacket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

This is the modern American gothic: grainy photos taken on a MacBook of a teenage girl in a camouflage jacket, holding a gun, and posted on Tumblr.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Angry, the 60-year-old cannot come to terms with the loss of her daughter Annalee, a little blonde girl in a cowboy hat whose smile lights up the pin attached to the lapel of her jacket.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

When the last epaulet was sewn onto the sleeve, I buried the jacket, and I waited.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• coat
• fur
• parka
• sheath
• tunic