haircut

noun hair·cut \ ˈher-ˌkət \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of haircut

1 : the act or process of cutting and shaping the hair

2 : hairdo

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haircutter

play \ˈher-ˌkə-tər\ noun

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haircutting

play \ˈher-ˌkə-tiŋ\ noun

See haircut defined for English-language learners

See haircut defined for kids

Examples of haircut in a Sentence

The girls got haircuts yesterday.
He just had a haircut.
Do you like my haircut?

Recent Examples of haircut from the Web

In the first Special Olympics Games 50 years ago, Hernandez, a cheerful young girl with a bob haircut and bangs, participated in the 50-yard dash and a baseball throw, taking home gold medals in both events.

— vikki ortiz, chicagotribune.com, "'Things are so different now': Athletes, supporters celebrate 50 years of Special Olympics," 3 May 2018
Felicitously, on a recent evening, a slight man with an Eddie Munster haircut, wearing a sweatshirt with rainbows in the hood and around the elbows, took his seat behind the piano.

— neima jahromi, The New Yorker, "Toasting the Tipsy Piano Choir at Marie’s Crisis," 27 Apr. 2018
With a flat-top haircut, three missing fingers and an impressive girth, Sen. Jon Tester has somehow kept a low profile in Congress.

— CBS News, "In Montana, it's Trump vs. Tester," 27 Apr. 2018
Kim's reputation as a buffoonish leader with an odd haircut and mannerisms may contribute to that sense of confidence.

— jim michaels, USA TODAY, "Why Kim Jong Un is hard — but not impossible — to read ahead of North Korea summit," 24 Apr. 2018
So what better way to shake off the snow and celebrate spring than with a fresh-to-death haircut and color?

— deanna pai, Glamour, "The Coolest Spring 2018 Haircut and Color Ideas," 16 Apr. 2018
Get our daily newsletter All over Europe, studious youths with neat haircuts are changing the face of right-wing activism.

— The Economist, "How “identitarian” politics is changing Europe," 28 Mar. 2018
No crossed with Machiavelli and topped with a bad haircut.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "The leaders of both Koreas feel like they won gold medals this week," 16 Feb. 2018
Kim Jong Un is a doughy man with an odd haircut and a cartoon villain’s face.

— jerry brewer, The Seattle Times, "There’s peace in the air at the Pyeongchang Olympics, but something doesn’t smell right," 10 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of haircut

1899

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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haircut Synonyms

Synonyms

coiffure, cut, do, hairdo, hairstyle;

bob, buzz cut, crew cut, crop, fade, Mohawk, shag, shingle, trim;

braid, pigtail, plait, ponytail, queue;

Financial Definition of HAIRCUT

haircut

noun

What It Is

A haircut is a reduction in an asset's value.

How It Works

For example, let's say the Greek government borrowed about $483 billion from banks, investment funds and other groups. Now it can't pay it back. So if an investor owns a Greek bond with a face value of, say, $1,000, the Greek government is now agreeing to pay back only $300. This means the investor will take a $700 haircut.

Why It Matters

Why would an investor settle for this? Because $300 is more than $0.

In a haircut situation, the only thing lenders can do is get together with other lenders and try to renegotiate with the borrower. Everybody goes into a crummy situation like this knowing that the borrower is probably never going to repay 100% of the debt, so the new objective is to get the borrower to pay back as much as possible.

A haircut doesn't always mean that the lenders are just going to let the borrower off the hook, though. The lenders might cut the interest rate on the debt way back or push the repayment date way out into the future. In our example, Greece might agree to pay back your $1,000, but they might do it at 2% for the next 30 years instead of 5% for the next 10 years.

Source: Investing Answers