waistcoat

American  

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

noun

• waistcoats
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• underwaistcoat
  noun
• waistcoated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waistcoats
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of waistcoat

First recorded in 1510–20; waist + coat

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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

See Examples For:

waistcoat waistcoats

The composer Carl Friedrich Abel, a beloved friend of the artist, is shown in a shimmering gold waistcoat that reveals nothing of his financial troubles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

Piping on the waistcoat is “a kick” to stand out against judges in black.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

Wearing a blue waistcoat and a small bag, he waved to supporters in the public gallery during the brief hearing.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025

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

His polished boots, the thick gold watch chain cinched across his waistcoat, the handsome fob.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

They came in their flat caps, waistcoats and with an ice-cool stare - all hoping to be crowned the best lookalike of Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby.

From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2024

But some have worn waistcoats with the symbol of Black History Month underneath.

From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023

At Fendi, designer Kim Jones added pleated skirt aprons and trains to tailored trouser suits as well as shoulder-baring sleeves to waistcoats.

From Reuters ● Feb. 22, 2023

In unison, the actors’ transformations occur as they step smartly into buckled shoes and slip from modern dress into the waistcoats designed by Emilio Sosa.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2022

I saw military washerwomen dressed in fine silk waistcoats for men, brocaded with water-stains and grime.

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

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