a short, close-fitting jacket, frequently trimmed with fur, worn in the 19th century by women and children.
a man's close-fitting jacket, having a collar and lapels and reaching just below the waist, worn in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
an English wig of the 18th century.
Charles, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 1674–1722, British statesman: prime minister 1718–21.
Herbert, 1820–1903, English philosopher.
Platt Rogers 1800–64, U.S. calligrapher and teacher of penmanship.
a town in NW Iowa.
a town in central Massachusetts.
a male given name.
Herbert. 1820–1903, English philosopher, who applied evolutionary theory to the study of society, favouring laissez-faire doctrines
Sir Stanley. 1891–1959, English painter, noted esp for his paintings of Christ in a contemporary English setting
a short fitted coat or jacket
a woman's knitted vest
1740–50; spencer 1 in defs. 1, 2 named after G. J. Spencer (1758–1834), English earl; spencer 1 in def. 3 named after Charles Spencer
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Describe the anatomical difference between a peacoat, a spencer, and a Taglioni, and also state who gave the best “prish” for old ones.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, August 14, 1841 by Various
So saying, she ran upstairs, without any further delay, and putting on her hat and spencer, set off to old Mr. Henderson's.
From Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12) Classic Tales and Old-Fashioned Stories by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
The wheels could have been removed from the axle and lifted aboard by use of tackles from the main yard ends, or from a fore spencer gaff if it were made long enough.
From The Pioneer Steamship Savannah: A Study for a Scale Model United States National Museum Bulletin 228, 1961, pages 61-80 by Chapelle, Howard I. (Howard Irving)
He was dressed in a bottle-green spencer and trousers of a military cut, and wore one of those caps which in the days I am writing of were the fashion amongst masters and mates.
From The Honour of the Flag by Russell, W. Clark (William Clark)
"Confound it!" roared a fat man in a blue spencer.
From The Three Brides, Love in a Cottage, and Other Tales by Durivage, Francis A. (Francis Alexander)
Research published by Spencer Stuart in 2020 showed that, while nearly all of the experienced CEOs outperformed the market in their first role, only about 40% managed to do the same in subsequent positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
This exact problem arose in the recent first round of the Los Angeles mayoral race, where markets had predicted much greater success for Spencer Pratt than he actually achieved.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A Fury lookalike briefly fooled reporters when he stepped out of a taxi, while Fury's manager Spencer Brown insisted the 'Gypsy King' would be "there in spirit".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Salary-transparency laws can “help narrow pay gaps and reduce wage discrimination” among demographic groups including women and people of color, said Keith Spencer, a career expert at ResumeNow.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
I wonder if Mom feels the same way I do: if she thought she’d have another chance to share a cup of tea, shop for bargains at Marks and Spencer, or walk in Nan’s garden.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
