What does "vest" mean?
A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
Vest
/vɛst/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
- Grammar: vest is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: waistcoat, accrue, appertain, appertain to.
- Useful contrasts: coat, dissolve, divest.
- Usage evidence: You need to reverse your vest, it's back to front.
How to use "vest"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vest" 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 "vest" 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 "vest" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vest" 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 "vest" 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 "waistcoat" 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 "vest", 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 A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat. Canada, US
"The Jones man was looking at her hard. Now he reached into the hatch of his vest and fetched out a couple of cigars, everlasting big ones, with gilt bands on them."
- 2 a collarless men's undergarment for the upper part of the body wordnet
- 3 A sleeveless garment, often with a low-cut neck, usually worn under a shirt or blouse. British
- 4 a man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat wordnet
- 5 A sleeveless top, typically with identifying colours or logos, worn by an athlete or member of a sports team.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Any sleeveless outer garment, often for a purpose such as identification, safety, or storage.
"He gripped some of the shreds and pulled off his vest and the shirt beneath it, his clothing disintegrating around him. What in the hell point was there in wearing a twenty-five-pound bulletproof vest if you could still get gunned to death?"
- 7 A vestment.
"In state attended by her maiden train, / Who bore the vests that holy rites require."
- 8 Clothing generally; array; garb.
"Not seldom, clad in radiant vest / Deceitfully goes forth the morn."
- 9 A loose robe or outer garment worn historically by men in Arab or Middle Eastern countries. archaic
Verb
- 1 To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely. passive
"Came vested all in white, pure as her mind."
- 2 clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes wordnet
- 3 To clothe with authority, power, etc.; to put in possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; followed by with and the thing conferred.
"to vest a court with power to try cases of life and death"
- 4 clothe oneself in ecclesiastical garments wordnet
- 5 To place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority; to commit to another; with in before the possessor.
"The power of life and death is vested in the king, or in the courts."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 become legally vested wordnet
- 7 To clothe with possession; also, to give a person an immediate fixed right of present or future enjoyment of.
"to vest a person with an estate"
- 8 place (authority, property, or rights) in the control of a person or group of persons wordnet
- 9 (of an inheritance or a trust fund) To devolve upon the person currently entitled when a prior interest has ended. intransitive
"Upon the death of the Sovereign the Crown automatically vests in the next heir without the need of coronation or other formality."
- 10 provide with power and authority wordnet
- 11 To become vested, to become permanent. intransitive
"My pension vests at the end of the month and then I can take it with me when I quit."
- 12 To invest; to put. obsolete
"to vest money in goods, land, or houses"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You need to reverse your vest, it's back to front."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vest"?
Common synonyms include: waistcoat, accrue, appertain, appertain to, armor vest, attain validity.
How do you use "vest" in a sentence?
You need to reverse your vest, it's back to front.
How do you pronounce "vest"?
Pronounced /vɛst/.
Etymology
From French veste (“a vest, jacket”), from Latin vestis (“a garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis, from *wes- (“to be dressed”) (English wear). Cognate with Sanskrit वस्त्र (vastra) and Spanish vestir.