watch cap

American  

noun

1. U.S. Navy. a dark-blue, knitted woolen cap with a turned-up cuff worn by enlisted personnel on duty in cold weather.

2. any wool or woollike cap resembling this and sold commercially in various colors.

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watch cap British  

noun

1. a knitted navy-blue woollen cap worn by seamen in cold weather

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Etymology

Origin of watch cap

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

On the coldest days this past December, his concession was a light jacket and watch cap.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2023

Jan designed Gaye’s iconic signature look in the ‘70s: red watch cap, beaded denim shirt, red-laced high-heeled silver boots. She also sang backup vocals on Marvin’s quixotic hit from 1977, “Got to Give It Up.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2022

She looks younger than she is, in round eyeglasses and a yellow Minnesota Vikings watch cap she bought not because she is a fan but because she liked the looks of the Viking.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2020

I grabbed my brown watch cap, slipped on an old tweed jacket I bought in a street bazaar in Tangier, and walked over to the Caffe Dante.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 23, 2016

Mom saw me and called me back, handing me a knit watch cap.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam