red hat

American  

noun

1. the broad-brimmed official hat of a Roman Catholic cardinal, symbolic of the office or rank of a cardinal.

2. a cardinal.

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red hat British  

noun

1. the broad-brimmed crimson hat given to cardinals as the symbol of their rank and office

2. the rank and office of a cardinal

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Etymology

Origin of red hat

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

At least in the other cell there had been bright bits of clothing: the baroness’ red hat, Frau Mikes’ yellow blouse.

From Literature

That’s the same tack IBM took with its $33 billion acquisition of Red Hat, which became IBM’s default technology to help customers update their software applications, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Red Hat built a major software firm around open-source Linux code it didn’t own.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paddington politely greeted photographers on his way in, dressed for the weather in his hallmark bright blue coat and red hat.

From BBC

There are no viral clips, no TikTok reactions from red hat superfans and no manufactured outrage that turns into free publicity.

From Salon