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

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

The inner tubes, which are often given by people smugglers to migrants on Channel boats in place of life jackets, were then transported to several storage locations controlled by the gang in Germany.

From BBC

In fact, the order to take jackets off is one of a series of government directives since the strait closed.

From BBC

Huang bounced around the grand chamber in his signature black leather jacket, standing out among the tuxedoed crowd.

From The Wall Street Journal

He told the BBC he then had to return to the gate and had been waiting in the airport for more than 12 hours, sleeping on the floor on a bed of jackets.

From BBC

Related Words

• coat
• fur
• parka
• sheath
• tunic