a former province in Ireland, now comprising Northern Ireland and a part of the Republic of Ireland.
a province in N Republic of Ireland. 3,123 sq. mi. (8,090 sq. km).
Informal. Northern Ireland.
(lowercase) a long, loose, heavy overcoat, originally of Irish frieze, now also of any of various other woolen cloths.
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)
an informal name for Northern Ireland
C19: so called because it was first produced in Northern Ireland
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 The word comes from the name of the Irish province, Ulster, where these coats were originally made.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Concerns have been raised about the impact job losses at Ulster University would have on its Coleraine campus and the wider economy on the north coast.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Ulster Wildlife's Katy Bell said the GPS does not impact the hedgehog as "they can still roll up into a ball".
From BBC • May 9, 2026
"There is no justification, they are sectarian, and certainly in this instance it is well documented it is young people carrying out the attacks," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
He told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme the new form of the drug is "such an important development".
From BBC • May 4, 2026
As previously discussed in chapter 2, Britain’s colonization of Indigenous lands in North America was foreshadowed by its colonization of the province of Ulster in northern Ireland.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
