bonnet

noun bon·net \ ˈbä-nət \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: bonnet in a Sentence

Definition of bonnet

1 a (1) chiefly Scotland : a man's or boy's cap

(2) : a brimless Scottish cap of seamless woolen fabric — compare tam-o'-shanter 2

b : a cloth or straw hat tied under the chin and worn by women and children

2 a British : an automobile hood

b : a metal covering or cowl (as for a fireplace, valve chamber, or ventilator)

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Examples of bonnet in a Sentence

He lifted the car's bonnet to check the engine.

Recent Examples of bonnet from the Web

The solution is a slot or air extractor through the hood (bonnet) that passes air up and accelerates it over the windscreen.

— jim resnick, Ars Technica, "“Change like we’ve not seen in decades”—high-end auto designers go electric," 2 June 2018
On The Handmaid’s Tale, Elisabeth Moss gives a rebellious smirk under her bonnet.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "Female Rage on Television Reaches a Boiling Point in Dietland," 31 May 2018
Sister Mary David, who deserves a column of her own, stood just over four feet tall and had a halo of silvery hair peeking out from under her bonnet.

— christine m. flowers, Philly.com, "Can strong women be non-partisan? | Christine Flowers," 24 May 2018
Indiana Café's logo depicts what looks like a Cheyenne chief in a war bonnet.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "Paris has a cafe named Indiana, but don't expect a breaded tenderloin," 24 May 2018
Music festivalgoers have been major offenders of appropriation and insensitivity with fashion choices in the past (see the ongoing issue with American Indian war bonnets being worn to the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival).

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "BottleRock 2018: Tips on how to rock Napa’s biggest music festival," 24 May 2018
Nearly three years ago, baby Charlotte was seen wearing an ivory version of the bonnet backwards as she was carried out by mom Kate onto the very same steps of the Lindo Wing.

— simon perry, PEOPLE.com, "All About the Royal Baby's Debut Bonnet — and Its Connection to Big Sister Princess Charlotte," 24 Apr. 2018
Everyone was entirely deferential to the tall and stately chanteuse, who wore the most purple of bonnets and the most scarlet of lipstick.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Chris Owens' Easter Parade couldn't have been a sweeter scene," 1 Apr. 2018
Pretending to be a combination of the two most famous women from each show, Schumer portrays a Carrie Bradshaw-as-Offred character, sitting at a lunch table with the other handmaids in the typical Gilead garb of red robes and off-white bonnets.

— alix langone, Time, "The Handmaid's Tale," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bonnet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bonnet

Middle English bonet auxiliary sail, kind of cap, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Saxon gibund bundle, Old English bindan to bind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year