jacket

American  

[jak-it] / ˈdʒæk ɪt /

noun

jackets plural

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)

jackets, present (3rd person singular) jacketed, past participle, past jacketing present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• jackets
  plural

Participles

• jacketing
  present
• jacketed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• jacket
  simple
• jackets
  simple
• have jacketed
  perfect
• has jacketed
  perfect
• am jacketing
  progressive
• are jacketing
  progressive
• is jacketing
  progressive
• have been jacketing
  perfect progressive
• has been jacketing
  perfect progressive

Past

• jacketed
  simple
• had jacketed
  perfect
• was jacketing
  progressive
• were jacketing
  progressive
• had been jacketing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will jacket
  simple
• will have jacketed
  perfect
• will be jacketing
  progressive
• will have been jacketing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of jacket

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

Explanation

A jacket is a lightweight or cropped coat. Most jackets end at your waist or hips, while coats can be much longer. If you have outerwear made of denim or leather, feel free to call them jackets. Jackets are generally long-sleeved and fasten with zippers, snaps, or buttons down the front. Other meanings of jacket generally include the sense of "outer covering," like a book jacket or the insulating jacket around your house's pipes. The word comes from the Middle French jaquet, "short coat with sleeves," from the Old French jacque, "tunic."

Example Sentences

Sunday closes out the weekend with singer-songwriter James Taylor at the top of the lineup, alongside rock singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, indie pop band Peach Pit and indie rock band My Morning Jacket.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

He finished in a share of third place as McIlroy retained the Green Jacket.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Diamondis described the images of McIlroy getting his hands on the Green Jacket again at Augusta as "gold dust".

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

McIlroy's belief that finally landing the Green Jacket last year would pave the way for more major victories proved prophetic.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

About an hour later we had the turtle, had cleaned it, and I knew that Mr. Jacket was Tom Sidler.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• coat
• fur
• parka
• sheath
• tunic