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:
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
All 182 guest rooms were given a fresh coat of dusty rose paint, new custom carpet, furniture and upgraded bathrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The African leopard found across most of sub-Saharan Africa shows extraordinary variation in coat colour, body size and skull shape.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
Despite a recent multi-million dollar renovation, including a fresh coat of blue paint, the historic structure continues to face issues - most prominently algae turning the water a bright shade of green.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
She did the same thing two more times, picking at tiny threads and pulling until the entire sleeve dropped neatly from the coat.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
Many wearing sweaters and thick coats, a reminder of the southern hemisphere winter from where they were coming, walked off the plane into the scorching Nigerian sun.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
The result can be heard in songs like the hard-driving “Is It Real?” in which Hollywell roars about mental illness and divine intervention, while Santos coats it all in steel honey.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
I’m very pale, so I had to go in for a few different coats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
We wear our coats to bed, huddling together beneath the blanket while the wind moans, drinking hot water for breakfast because there is no tea.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Scientists believe the striking turquoise color comes from blooms of coccolithophores, microscopic phytoplankton coated in calcium carbonate plates.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 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
But time had taken a visible toll; tears in the seams hadn’t been mended, and rust coated most of the metal stakes hammered into the grass to keep it secure.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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
Introducing a modest number of bubbles created a much more even coating, while increasing the bubble concentration further caused particles to collect near the center of the droplet instead.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
President Donald Trump has blamed vandals for damage to newly applied coating on the bottom of the pool.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The new coating also began to peel off the surface.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The old fear began to pump, coating my insides with heat.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
