waistcoat

American  

[wes-kuht, weyst-koht] / ˈwɛs kət, ˈweɪstˌkoʊt /

noun

1. Chiefly British. vest.

2. an 18th-century garment for women that is similar to a man's vest, usually worn with a riding habit.

3. a man's body garment, often quilted and embroidered and having sleeves, worn under the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries.

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waistcoat British  

/ ˈweɪsˌkəʊt /

noun

1. US, Canadian, and Austral name: vest.  a sleeveless waist-length garment with buttons at the front, often worn under a suit jacket

2. a man's garment worn under a doublet in the 16th century

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Other Word Forms

• underwaistcoat noun
• waistcoated adjective

Etymology

Origin of waistcoat

First recorded in 1510–20; waist + coat

Explanation

A waistcoat is a piece of clothing most often worn as part of a man's suit — it's the sleeveless garment you wear over a button-up shirt and under a suit jacket. A waistcoat is essentially the same thing as a formal vest. While you might throw on a warm vest to take your dog for a walk, you're more likely to wear a waistcoat if you're an usher in your cousin's wedding. The word dates from the 15th century, when a waistcoat was long-sleeved and worn under a man's doublet, a close-fitting jacket. As the name implies, unlike longer formal coats, waistcoats were cropped at the waist.

Example Sentences

In the interim, however, this technology comes to us wrapped in some unprepossessing, temporized designs, like this fat-bellied seal in a plastic waistcoat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

In a reimagining of the 1973 track's original video, Delevingne dons oversized glasses and a colourful waistcoat – striking an uncanny resemblance to the music legend.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2024

A beige T-shirt and waistcoat ensemble looked red carpet-ready with its chicly pleated, arrow-thin assorted tie.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2024

About 12 feet tall, this creature will hold a pocket watch and have fur made of cream-colored Sedum foliage, a waistcoat of yellowy-green Sedum and a maroon jacket of Alternanthera leaves.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2024

The next day, arrayed in black satin breeches and my ill-gotten waistcoat, I made my way again to Faneuil Hall.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson