coat
Americannoun
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an outer garment with sleeves, covering at least the upper part of the body.
a new fur coat; a coat for formal wear.
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a natural integument or covering, as the hair, fur, or wool of an animal, the bark of a tree, or the skin of a fruit.
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a layer of anything that covers a surface.
That wall needs another coat of paint.
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a mucous layer covering or lining an organ or connected parts, as on the tongue.
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Archaic. a petticoat or skirt.
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Obsolete.
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a garment indicating profession, class, etc.
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the profession, class, etc., so indicated.
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verb (used with object)
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to cover with a layer or coating: The furniture was coated with dust.
He coated the wall with paint.
The furniture was coated with dust.
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to cover thickly, especially with a viscous fluid or substance.
Heat the mixture until it coats a spoon. The boy was coated with mud from head to foot.
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to cover or provide with a coat.
noun
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an outdoor garment with sleeves, covering the body from the shoulder to waist, knee, or foot
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any similar garment, esp one forming the top to a suit
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a layer that covers or conceals a surface
a coat of dust
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the hair, wool, or fur of an animal
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short for coat of arms
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in disfavour
verb
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to cover (with) a layer or covering
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(tr) to provide with a coat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coatsimple
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coatssimple
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have coatedperfect
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has coatedperfect
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am coatingprogressive
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are coatingprogressive
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is coatingprogressive
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have been coatingperfect progressive
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has been coatingperfect progressive
Past
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coatedsimple
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had coatedperfect
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was coatingprogressive
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were coatingprogressive
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had been coatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coat
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cote, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Germanic; compare German Kotze, Old Saxon cott “woolen coat”
Explanation
A coat is a warm piece of clothing you wear when it's cold outside. When the days get short and chilly, it's probably time to start wearing your puffy winter coat. A coat is a necessary garment during the winter in most parts of the world. You can also use the word to mean "layer," like when you paint your house, starting with a coat of primer. Another kind of coat is the one your dog, or any furry animal, has: "I brushed my cat's coat until it shone." Coat comes from the Old French cote, "tunic or overgarment," with its Turkish root kotta, "coarse cloth."
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:
According to the ministry, a sofa originally listed at 4,500 euros cost taxpayers around 2,000 euros, while a coat rack was reduced from 620 euros to 330 euros.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Taylor said a "tiny bit of advertising, a tiny coat of paint" would improve the space.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Cold noodles need a dressing with enough substance to coat every curve and ridge, but enough brightness to keep the bowl from feeling stodgy after a few hours in the fridge.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
After his career prospered, he bought his wife a fur coat one Christmas and, to make the gift more of a surprise, wrapped it in a microwave box.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The coat and outerwear at six o’clock in the morning.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
That left her free to nest in a pile of family coats under a row of seats.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Erwin gives the whole project a kind of gritty, visceral approach — very “Game of Thrones” in red coats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
I’m very pale, so I had to go in for a few different coats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Under Schulman, Burberry has refocused on its staple outerwear, including its famed trench coats, in a bid to improve its fortunes.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
They were clothed for the hunt in scarlet coats, white trousers, and neat black caps.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Shag carpet covered original terra-cotta floors, high-gloss paint coated nearly every wooden surface and overgrown weeds crowded the yard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Pour the mixture over the oyster crackers and toss until evenly coated.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Those gases are then analyzed and passed through specially coated capillary tubes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Thirteen birds were discovered around Mill Road in Peel coated in an unknown orange substance and "smelling like fish oil", while "many more" had been spotted, Manx Wild Bird Aid said.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was struggling, unable to fly, its body and wings coated with grime.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
Over time, the newly formed material settled onto silicon chips placed inside the tubes, leaving behind a thin coating of dust.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Party wings are another reliable crowd-pleaser: Farmer Focus wings come pre-split, grill quickly and only need a coating of Tabañero BBQ sauce near the end so it can caramelize and get sticky.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
President Donald Trump has blamed vandals for damage to newly applied coating on the bottom of the pool.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
His roughly $16 million restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool became a national news story when algae blooms clouded the water and pieces of the pool’s new coating floated to the surface.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
He lifted a gunnysack curtain, rubbed a peephole in the thick coating of dirt, and peered through.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
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.
