collar

1 of 2

noun

col·​lar ˈkä-lər 

1

: a band, strip, or chain worn around the neck: such as

a

: a band that serves to finish or decorate the neckline of a garment

b

: a short necklace

c

: a band placed about the neck of an animal

d

: a part of the harness of draft animals fitted over the shoulders and taking strain when a load is drawn

e

: an indication of control : a token of subservience

f

: a protective or supportive device (such as a brace or cast) worn around the neck

g

: clerical collar

2

: something resembling a collar in shape or use (such as a ring or round flange to restrain motion or hold something in place)

3

: any of various animal structures or markings similar to a collar

4

: an act of collaring : arrest, capture

collared

ˈkä-lərd 

adjective

collarless

ˈkä-lər-ləs 

adjective

collar

2 of 2

verb

collared; collaring; collars

transitive verb

1

a

: to seize by the collar or neck

b

: arrest, grab

c

: to get control of : preempt

we can collar nearly the whole of this market

—Roald Dahl

d

: to stop and detain in unwilling conversation

collar the guest of honor

2

: to put a collar on

collar a dog

Synonyms

Noun

• choker
• dog collar
• lei
• necklace

Verb

• apprehend
• arrest
• bust [slang]
• nab
• nail
• nick [British slang]
• pick up
• pinch
• pull in
• restrain
• run in
• seize

Examples of collar in a Sentence

Noun

He wore a shirt with a tight-fitting collar.

She grabbed me by the collar.

I bought a new collar for the dog.

Verb

The police collared the guy a few blocks from the scene.

He collared me on my way out the door.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And look: their outfits follow basic tailoring principles: jackets bisect halfway from collar to floor; jacket silhouette flows into trousers. —Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025

The knit top displays gorgeous detailing, including ruffles around the pointed collars and delicate embroidery down the front, and it’s made from a largely cotton blend that will remain in great condition well past this season. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2025

Verb

Researchers place collars with very high frequency (VHF) radio and GPS on wolves in the area, to track and study the animals, according to Yellowstone.org. —Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Scientists at the University of Ljubljana collared Slvac with a tracking device and mapped his entire trip. —Pat Tompkins, AFAR Media, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

latinization of earlier and Middle English coler, borrowed from Anglo-French coler, colere "collar, necklace" (also continental Old French coler), going back to Latin collāre "neck band, collar," noun derivative from neuter of collāris "of the neck," from collum, collus "neck" + -āris -ar; collum, collus going back to dialectal Indo-European *k^(w)olso-, whence also Germanic *halsa-, whence Old English heals, hals "neck," Old Frisian hals, hāls, Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Icelandic & Gothic hals

Note: Old French also has collier "collar for an animal," going back to Late Latin collārium, attested ca. 500, from collāre by suffix substitution; this is the source of modern French collier "collar, necklace." — The etymon *k^(w)olso- is often taken to be based on Indo-European *k^wel- "turn," perhaps as a thematized derivative *k^wels-o-/*k^wols-o- of the s-stem seen in Old Church Slavic koles-, kolo "wheel" (see wheel entry 1). Comparable would be Lithuanian kãklas "neck, throat," from reduplicated *k^wo-k^wl-o, the neck being the body part that turns the head. However, it has been objected that *k^wo- in Germanic would not necessarily lose rounding. The precise formation is in any case limited to Italic and Germanic.

Verb

derivative of collar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing collar

• blue-collar
• brass collar Democrat
• clerical collar
• collar cell
• dog collar
• e-collar
• electronic collar
• Elizabethan collar
• Eton collar
• flea collar
• green-collar
• hot under the collar
• loosen one's collar
• mandarin collar
• Peter Pan collar
• pink-collar
• radio collar
• Roman collar
• sailor collar
• shawl collar
• white-collar
• white-collar crime
• wing collar

Rhymes for collar

• caller
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor
• taller
• trawler

Kids Definition

collar

1 of 2 noun

col·​lar ˈkäl-ər 

1

a

: a band, strip, or chain worn around the neck or the neckline of a garment

b

: a part of the harness of draft animals fitted over the shoulders

2

: something (as a ring to hold something in place) resembling a collar

collared

-ərd 

adjective

collarless

-ər-ləs 

adjective

collar

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to seize by the collar

b

: to take possession of : grab

2

: to put a collar on

Medical Definition

collar

noun

col·​lar ˈkäl-ər 

: a protective or supporting device (such as a brace or cast) worn around the neck