kilt
Americannoun
-
kilts
plural
verb (used with object)
-
to draw or tuck up, as the skirt, about oneself.
-
to provide (a skirt) with kilt pleats.
noun
verb
-
to tuck (a skirt) up around one's body
-
to put pleats in (cloth, a skirt, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kilt
1300–50; Middle English kylte, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Danish kilte to tuck up
Explanation
The Scottish kilt resembles a plaid skirt, but it's traditionally worn by men. Bagpipers and Highland dancers often wear kilts, and you may even see hipsters in Brooklyn donning them. Today men and women both wear kilts, usually held closed by a large pin and accompanied by knee socks, but its tradition began with men and boys in Scotland. You're most likely to see Scots in kilts at formal events like weddings, Highland games, and funerals. The word kilt comes from the Middle English verb kilten, "to tuck up."
Vocabulary lists containing kilt
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 27–February 2, 2024
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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.
See Examples For:
There might be a yellow and black kilt involved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
One local, wearing a traffic cone hat was overheard saying he was "totally bummed" his kilt didn't arrive in time.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Fans wearing Boston Red Sox memorabilia have been trumped by Scotland strips, and walking down the street it feels as though every second person you see is wearing a kilt.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Just a few feet away, “The Pitt” star Patrick Ball made a similarly bold fashion choice, posing for photos in a black kilt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
You give one of those sort of regal dogs from Great Britain — those people in kilts and they blow a tiny whistle that no one can hear and the dog runs for 300 miles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Dance routines with two dancers dressed in red tartan kilts and bonnets accompanied the music.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
We took into account everything from expected goals to local weather conditions to gigantic parades of sweaty supporters in tartan kilts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Edinburgh Airport was awash with kilts and Scotland tops on Wednesday as fans headed to the States via different flight routes.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
I know about these schools, where you have to wear kilts and play field hockey.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
