waistcoat

American  

[wes-kuht, weyst-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

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

See Examples For:

waistcoat waistcoats

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

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

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

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

And not just of the usual luxury-porn variety, although those who watch “Downton Abbey” for the pearls, frocks and waistcoats, the posh furnishings and elegant dinners will hardly be disappointed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2022

Seizing upon several shirts and pair of breeches, I rolled them quickly into a bundle, to which I added three waistcoats, one of them fine silk for Dr. Trefusis.

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