kilt

1 of 2

noun

ˈkilt 

1

: a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies

2

: a garment that resembles a Scottish kilt

kilt

2 of 2

verb

kilted; kilting; kilts

transitive verb

1

chiefly dialectal : to tuck up (something, such as a skirt)

2

: to equip with a kilt

intransitive verb

: to move nimbly

Examples of kilt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The setting is Scotland — very exotic to Danes back in the 19th century (not to mention great for showing off a male dancer’s petit batterie beneath a flapping kilt). —Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2026

Back in kilts, Charles and Camilla took a walk through the village of Ballater, Scotland. —Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026

Spectators along the route wore kilts, orange wigs, Irish flags and full leprechaun ensembles. —Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

French fans holding up live roosters (le coq gaulois), Scots in kilts, English fans dressed up like King Arthur’s knights—and sometimes in a more brutal fashion. —Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse kjalta lap, fold of a gathered skirt

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for kilt

• built
• gilt
• guilt
• hilt
• lilt
• milt
• quilt
• silt
• spilt
• stilt
• tilt
• wilt

Kids Definition

kilt

noun

ˈkilt

: a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland

kilted

ˈkil-təd

adjective