toque

American  

[tohk] / toʊk /

noun

toques plural

1. a brimless and close-fitting hat for women, in any of several shapes.

2. a velvet hat with a narrow, sometimes turned-up brim, a full crown, and usually a plume, worn by men and women especially in 16th-century France.

3. a tall white hat with pleats, worn by chefs.

4. tuque.

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toque British  

/ təʊk /

noun

1. a woman's small round brimless hat, popular esp in Edwardian times

2. a hat with a small brim and a pouched crown, popular in the 16th century

3. same as tuque

4. a chef's tall white hat

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• toques
  plural

Etymology

Origin of toque

First recorded in 1495–1505; from French; replacing earlier toock, towk (from Portuguese touca “coif ”), tock, tocque (from Italian tocca “cap”), and toke (from Spanish toca “headdress”); further origin uncertain

Explanation

A toque is the tall hat that many professional chefs wear. Since the late 18th century, chef toques are almost always white. At one time, the color of your toque represented your rank in the kitchen. White was eventually chosen as the "most sanitary" color. You can also use toque to describe an old-fashioned women's hat with a narrow brim, or in Canada, a knitted winter cap. The origin of this word is uncertain, although some experts believe it stems from the Arabic word taqa, "opening."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toque toques

The final scene, in which Titus enters dressed as a chef, a cream puff of a toque jauntily placed on his head—he’s baked those unpalatable pies—retains its deranged tone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

After photographing birds and leopards, Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod captured a young toque macaque peacefully sleeping in an adult's arms to highlight the challenges these monkeys face amid habitat loss and farmer conflicts.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024

When I was nine, for instance, I received an Emeril Lagasse-branded miniature chef’s uniform, complete with a starchy white coat and toque.

From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2023

Indeed, their cable car scenes don’t measure up to Mount Rainier, elevation 14,410 feet, when it wears a fluffy toque.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2023

Miig's hair was tucked up into a grey woolen toque, and with the wide grey scarf wrapped around his neck several times so that his entire mouth was obscured, he looked much older.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

In North America, Arc’teryx was beloved in the outdoor-sporting community, but its jackets and beanie-like toques also had a following among “gorpcore” fashion aficionados.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

For ski accessories, McCoo’s is owned and staffed by friendly bearded locals who know from experience which toques, gloves and goggles work best for Whistler terrain.

From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2020

They’re too modest — and too friendly with professionally trained toques who might bristle at bartenders who adopt the title of “chef.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2018

Old-school service is alive and well at the Plaza: High tea treats are served in brass birdcages, tuxedo-clad bellman whisk away luggage to gilded suites, and chefs bear toques that tower above their heads.

From Time ● Aug. 16, 2017

Dark, useful remnants were their lot; sailor-hats in summer, cloth toques in winter; stout, useful boots, and dogskin gloves which stood a year’s hard wear.

From The Fortunes of the Farrells by Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

Related Words

• hat
• helmet
• tiara
• turban