hard hat

noun \ usually -ˈhat for sense 1 and , -ˌhat for senses 1b and 2 \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of hard hat

1 a : a protective hat made of rigid material (such as metal or fiberglass) and worn especially by construction workers

b : a construction worker

2 : a conservative who is intolerant of opposing views

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Recent Examples of hard hat from the Web

His social media presence spans across Facebook, Instagram and the Russian social media network VKontakte, where photos of the cat, wearing a tiny hard hat, litter the channels.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Putin made a show of crossing the new Crimea bridge. But he was upstaged by a cat.," 16 May 2018
Certainly, in the history of bad marketing, their work has surpassed New Coke, and DeanFredo sending his sons to the Inglewood site in hard hats only adds to the legend.

— nick canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "King James’ arrival in L.A. puts Bolts further down line," 9 July 2018
Handsome men in hard hats from the company ManscapersNY are moving large potted plants around, while others are drilling and sawing.

— eve macsweeney, Vogue, "Tulum Comes to Canal Street, Palm Trees and All," 20 June 2018
This staged moment of corniness, complete with costumes, hard hats or signs, is the standard escape room photo.

— carly mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Why escape rooms have a lock on the U.S.," 25 Apr. 2018
The giant barge near Eudora, Arkansas, was crawling with more than 150 men - many wearing yellow raincoats, some in orange life vests, all in gray hard hats.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Taming the mighty Mississippi: Troubles run deep in changing national waterway," 17 Mar. 2018
Byford, wearing a hard hat and a high-visibility vest, toured the site with a project foreman, climbing makeshift ladders, asking detailed questions about engineering sign-offs and subcontractors.

— william finnegan, The New Yorker, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," 2 July 2018
In some parts of Xinjiang waiters and shop assistants have been issued with clubs, body armour and hard hats to help them perform security duties when required.

— The Economist, "China wants eyes and ears on every street," 28 June 2018
The crew often spent 10 or more hours a day on a Staten Island dry dock, wearing respirators, hard hats and gloves, while hand-painting the delicate fluid details.

— lara korte, WSJ, "Newly ‘Dazzled’ Fireboat Brings World War I History to New York Waterways," 27 June 2018

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