What does "coat" mean?
An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
Coat
/koʊt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
- Grammar: coat is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: coating, airbrushes, aluminize, anoint.
- Useful contrasts: bare skin, cape, dab of paint.
- Usage evidence: The button on your coat is coming off.
How to use "coat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "coat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "coat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "coat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "coat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "coat" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "coating" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "coat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms. countable
"It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar."
- 2 growth of hair or wool or fur covering the body of an animal wordnet
- 3 A covering of material, such as paint. countable
"fresh coat of paint"
- 4 an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors wordnet
- 5 The fur or feathers covering an animal's skin. countable
"Near-synonym: pelt"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a thin layer covering something wordnet
- 7 Canvas painted with thick tar and secured round a mast or bowsprit to prevent water running down the sides into the hold (now made of rubber or leather). uncountable
- 8 A petticoat. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"a child in coats"
- 9 The habit or vesture of an order of men, indicating the order or office; cloth. countable, uncountable
"Men of his coat should be minding their prayers."
- 10 A coat of arms. countable, uncountable
"Hark, countrymen! either renew the fight, / Or tear the lions out of England's coat."
- 11 A coat card. countable, uncountable
"Here's a trick of discarded cards of us! We were ranked with coats as long as old master lived."
Verb
- 1 To cover with a coating of some material. transitive
"The frying pan was coated with a layer of non-stick material, making it easier to wash."
- 2 cover or provide with a coat wordnet
- 3 To cover like a coat. transitive
- 4 form a coat over wordnet
- 5 To clothe. archaic, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative spelling of Coate. alt-of, alternative
Antonyms
Example
"The button on your coat is coming off."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "coat"?
Common synonyms include: coating, airbrushes, aluminize, anoint, anointing, anoints.
How do you use "coat" in a sentence?
The button on your coat is coming off.
How do you pronounce "coat"?
Pronounced /koʊt/.
Etymology
From Middle English cote, coate, cotte, from Old French cote, cotte (“outer garment with sleeves”), from Latin cotta (“undercoat, tunic”), from Proto-Germanic *kuttô, *kuttǭ (“cowl, woolen cloth, coat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷewd-, *gud- (“woolen clothes”). Cognate with Old High German kozza, kozzo (“woolen coat”) (German Kotze (“coarse woolen blanket; woolen cape”)), Middle Low German kot (“coat”), Middle Dutch cote (“coat”), Ancient Greek βεῦδος (beûdos, “woman's attire”).