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tin hat

American  

noun

Slang.
  1. a steel helmet worn by soldiers.


tin hat British  

noun

  1. obsolete a steel helmet worn by military personnel for protection against small metal fragments

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tin hat

First recorded in 1915–20

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:

Diomande's act of foolishness just put the tin hat on it.

From BBC Sep. 25, 2025

“I grabbed my tin hat and ran up to the poop deck and when everyone was up there we didn’t see any planes or anything, but a Liberty Ship near us was sinking,” Cribbs said.

From Washington Times Nov. 2, 2014

The institutions that formed him, bade him don A tin hat at Suez, shimmer like elegant, gauzy backdrops Floating down from the flies.

From New York Times Jul. 29, 2014

He might add a tin hat to accessorise with those natty stripy socks.

From The Guardian Jan. 27, 2013

Gas mask, tin hat, ration coupons, and an umbrella.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

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