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• Ulster
  Ulster

  noun

  a former province in Ireland, now comprising Northern Ireland and a part of the Republic of Ireland.
• ulster
  ulster

  noun

  a man's heavy double-breasted overcoat with a belt or half-belt at the back

Ulster

American  

[uhl-ster] / ˈʌl stər /

noun

1. a former province in Ireland, now comprising Northern Ireland and a part of the Republic of Ireland.

2. a province in N Republic of Ireland. 3,123 sq. mi. (8,090 sq. km).

3. Informal. Northern Ireland.

4. (lowercase) a long, loose, heavy overcoat, originally of Irish frieze, now also of any of various other woolen cloths.

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ulster ¹ British  

/ ˈʌlstə /

noun

1. a man's heavy double-breasted overcoat with a belt or half-belt at the back

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Ulster ² British  

/ ˈʌlstə /

noun

1. a province and former kingdom of N Ireland: passed to the English Crown in 1461; confiscated land given to English and Scottish Protestant settlers in the 17th century, giving rise to serious long-term conflict; partitioned in 1921, six counties forming Northern Ireland and three counties joining the Republic of Ireland. Pop (three Ulster counties of the Republic of Ireland): 46 714 (2002); (six Ulster counties of Northern Ireland): 1 702 628 (2003 est). Area (Republic of Ireland): 8013 sq km (3094 sq miles); (Northern Ireland): 14 121 sq km (5452 sq miles)

2. an informal name for Northern Ireland

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Ulster Cultural  

1. A historic division of Ireland, located in the northeastern part of the island. Six of its nine counties are in Northern Ireland. (See Republic of Ireland.)

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Other Word Forms

• Ulsterite
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of ulster

C19: so called because it was first produced in Northern Ireland

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Explanation

An ulster is a long coat that was commonly worn in Victorian Britain. The overcoat that Sherlock Holmes usually wears in photos, movies, and TV shows is a good example of an ulster. This long, sturdy coat often has an attached cape and a belt, although more modern versions tend to omit the cape. These days, you're most likely to get a glimpse of an ulster on a period drama, like the TV series Sherlock or a filmed version of a Charles Dickens novel. The ulster wasn't a dressy type of outerwear; it was meant for a working man. The word comes from the name of the Irish province, Ulster, where these coats were originally made.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ulster ulster

The DUP and Ulster Unionists share power with Sinn Féin in a four-party devolved government alongside the Alliance Party.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Ulster University said they had no research links with the organisation referenced by MI5.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Over the last 10 years the number of female students studying Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University has increased by 40%, while at Ulster University the number studying engineering has almost doubled over the past decade.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Colin Neill, Chief Executive of Hospitality Ulster, said the industry takes a "zero-tolerance approach" to misogynistic, intimidating, threatening or inappropriate behaviour.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

By the time of US independence, significant numbers of Ulster Scots lived in the colonies, especially in the areas away from cities and towns.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

In the House of Commons, Winston Churchill rose to speak, swathed in a huge ulster that stretched nearly to the floor, his throat muffled in black wool.

From Time Magazine Archive

A figure, muffled to the eyes in an ulster, slouched out of the blur.

From Time Magazine Archive

Despite the cluckings of his doctors, George V wrapped himself in a thick ulster and went down to cold, wet Newmarket Heath last week for the Cambridgeshire.

From Time Magazine Archive

Moreover I have on my desk a Brooks Brothers catalog, put out in the spring of 1908, with a photograph of a camel's hair ulster as part of its regular ready-made stock.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was Gatsby's father, a solemn old man very helpless and dismayed, bundled up in a long cheap ulster against the warm September day.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap

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