old hat

American  

adjective

1. old-fashioned; dated.

2. trite from having long been used or known.

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old hat British  

adjective

1. (postpositive) old-fashioned or trite

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old hat Cultural  

1. Obsolete, old-fashioned: “Get with it, Murray; your methods are strictly old hat.”

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Etymology

Origin of old hat

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

“He was old hat, and Las Vegas was seen as the graveyard of the stars.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

All-time highs have become old hat to a market that’s seen the S&P 5oo notch nearly three dozen record closes this year, and the catalysts are familiar too: trade and tech.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

Maybe the headlines about looming shutdown deadlines feel like old hat, at this point.

From Slate • Sep. 30, 2025

One-time hick-hop rapper Jelly Roll is old hat at songs to soundtrack shirking child support payments, but he’s found a bit of a new lane in the path blazed by Wallen.

From Salon • May 16, 2025

I became aware of movement beside me, and I was astonished to see Dad prancing along the slack, waving his old hat in his hand.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam