trilby

noun

tril·​by ˈtril-bē How to pronounce trilby (audio)
plural trilbies
chiefly British
: a soft felt hat with indented crown

Examples of trilby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Emily looks like an extremely bisexual speakeasy bartender in her little suspenders and trilby hat. Emma Specter, Vogue, 2 May 2025 The casting of Naomie Harris, the most recent incarnation of Moneypenny, isn’t the movie’s sole tip of the trilby to James Bond. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 Compared to fedoras, trilbies have a narrower brim and an indented crown. Maverick Li, Men's Health, 14 July 2023 The item that rolled out of Herbert Johnson’s Old Burlington Street premises wasn’t as dainty as a trilby or as tall as a stovepipe, was more dapper than a cowboy and not as droopy as a bush hat. Simon Ingram, Town & Country, 30 June 2023 By this point, Driver has metamorphosed into an evil stage dad complete with villainous trilby. Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2021 Just like Smulders, Eichner weaponizes his likable offscreen persona to brilliant effect, proving an impressive dupe for Drudge—his signature trilby, included. Vogue, 9 Sep. 2021 On a sunny Sunday stroll through Beacon, a couple of ramblers are wearing straw trilbies in the farmers’ market. James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2019 On both occasions he had been stylishly dressed, in two different types of hats: a beret and a trilby. Oddur Thorisson, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that such a hat was worn in the London stage version of the novel Trilby (1894) by George du Maurier

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trilby was in 1897

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trilby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilby. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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