coif

1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯif

in sense 2 also

ˈkwäf

: a close-fitting cap: such as

: a hoodlike cap worn under a veil by nuns

: a protective usually metal skullcap formerly worn under a hood of mail

: a white cap formerly worn by English lawyers and especially by serjeants-at-law

also : the order or rank of a serjeant-at-law

: coiffure

… wore her hair teased into a dramatic coif.—

Lawrence Wright

coif

2 of 2

verb

ˈkȯif

ˈkwäf

coiffed or coifed; coiffing or coifing

transitive verb

: to cover or dress with or as if with a coif

[after French coiffer — more at coiffure] : to arrange (hair) by brushing, combing, or curling

Her long blonde hair was nicely coifed.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Looking suave, The Mandalorian actor styled his hair in a smooth coif. —

Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 12 Mar. 2023 On Burberry’s London catwalk, the Dutch ballet dancer Toon Lobach emerged with a neon candy apple coif. —

Arden Fanning Andrews, New York Times, 4 May 2023 Now her icy white coif is her trademark. —

Garrett Munce, Town & Country, 24 Jan. 2023 True music royalty, Queen Latifah tops a regal, sheer velvet cape with vault-worthy earrings and a crowning coif. —

Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2023 Their procession was resplendent, as was Queen Ginny’s escort’s coif, which rose like a silver phoenix as the two walked along the dance floor. —

al, 5 Feb. 2023 Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a kind of James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets Jason Statham meets Fabio, and John Abraham, who plays the sociopath villain with an aggro creepiness set off by an ’80s Beverly Hills coif. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Jan. 2023 Slender again, her coif poofed and wild, she was clad in clinging black tights, soft boots and a bright, multicolored wooly sweater. —

Vernon Scott, Good Housekeeping, 23 Oct. 2022 Naturally, Rousselle wore her fresh-from-the-runway Vuitton look with swagger, contrasting the piece’s frilly details with a rock ’n’ roll beauty moment involving a platinum spiked coif and deep purple lipstick. —

Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2021

Verb

Behind every good hair day is an arsenal of hair products designed to coif, curl, and condition your hair into tip-top shape. —

Kelsey Mulvey, harpersbazaar.com, 16 May 2023 Her hair was coiffed with the slightly undone sexiness of the ‘90s supermodel era, tucked under a large leather headband wrapped around her forehead. —

Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 May 2023 Earring Magic Ken was Mattel’s attempt at making Ken cool by coifing his hair, piercing his left ear and adding a controversial necklace. —

Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023 At the wig-fitting event in Rockville on Tuesday, stylist volunteers from the Frederick and Annapolis locations of The Temple: A Paul Mitchell Partner School helped women select and coif their wigs. —

Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2021 From start to finish, Khoudri has had hairstylist Adir Abergel by her side to help coif her shoulder-grazing brunette bob for every occasion, each more glamorous than the next. —

Lauren Valent, Vogue, 19 July 2021 More specialized professions emerged, including that of the hairdresser, who would visit women in their homes to cut and coif their hair. —

Marc Bain, Quartz, 27 Apr. 2020 In this key moment, Emma’s humanity bleeds through her perfectly coiffed, ironed and embroidered facade. —

The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2020 Her blond hair coifed, she was dressed in a navy cashmere turtleneck and jeans, a baroque pearl slung from a diamond chain around her neck, and alternated between burbling conspiratorial laughter and a cleareyed appraisal of what lies ahead. —

New York Times, 7 Nov. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coif.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.