hard hat

noun

for sense 1 usually

ˈhärd-ˈhat 

for senses 1b and 2

ˈhärd-ˌhat 

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

Examples of hard hat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ryan Asdourian, a marketing and strategy officer for Lumen Technologies, decided to have some fun with the clean-up operation, taking a film crew along to the venue and a hard hat, setting out to cover up as many signs as possible. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 23 June 2026

For many people, the next tech job may involve a hard hat instead of a laptop. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026

As a celebration of the tough work put in by each night’s Defensive Player of the Game, the team would often give the winner hard hats and Timberlands in the locker room. —Riley Jones, Footwear News, 6 June 2026

Signs of the former Muppets Courtyard were all but gone when USA TODAY was invited on a hard hat visit to the construction site in late May. —Eve Chen, USA Today, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for hard hat

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat

Kids Definition

hard hat

noun

1

: a protective helmet worn especially by construction workers

2

: a construction worker