parka
Americannoun
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a fur coat, shirtlike and hooded, for wear in the Arctic and other regions of extreme cold.
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a hip-length jacket or overshirt with an attached hood, often of wool or of a windproof, water-repellent material lined or trimmed with wool, used by skiers, hunters, the military, etc.
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any coat or jacket with a hood, as a hooded raincoat or windbreaker.
noun
Etymology
Origin of parka
First recorded in 1770–80; from Aleut or Yupik or directly from dialectal Russian párka, from Komi or directly from Nenets
Explanation
A parka is an insulated, waterproof coat with a hood. Before you head out on a winter camping trip in Canada, you'll want to make sure your parka is warm enough. Parkas are designed to block the wind and keep you warm — they are often lined with fur or another plush, cozy material. The earliest version of the parka was invented by Canadian Inuits, using caribou or seal skin and fur, and coated with fish oil to make it waterproof. Parka is an Aleut word that means "animal skins," and it's also used in Russian to mean "a jacket made from a pelt."
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.
It was far higher than he had anticipated in part because the parka was, unbeknownst to him, made in Myanmar, then facing a tariff rate of 40%, which stuck him with $248.04 in charges.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
As her rivals nervously shuffle in their boots, Shiffrin will clear space on the ground, fold a parka as a pillow, shut her blue eyes and doze off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
One of the supposed ghosts they’ve been tracking has appeared, wearing Annie’s pink parka.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024
Even before those Olympics, it was clear that barring something unfortunate, Gu had a good chance to be rich no matter which path she chose — or which country’s flag she put on her parka.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2024
She turned to look at me, her curly hair wild around her round face, half tucked into her too-small parka.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
