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

After devoting much of his LACMA tenure to construction projects, Govan sounds ready to take off his hard hat. —Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2026

The crew then put their hard hats together for a safety meeting. —Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 12 Mar. 2026

After nearly an hour of speeches, teams of dignitaries donned red hard hats and filed outside on a cold and gray March afternoon, grabbing shovels for the ceremonial groundbreaking. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026

Oil workers dressed in red jumpsuits and hard hats celebrated the bill’s approval, waving a Venezuelan flag inside the legislative palace and then joining lawmakers to a demonstration with ruling-party supporters. —Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 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