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lapel

noun

la·​pel lə-ˈpel How to pronounce lapel (audio)
: the part of a garment that is turned back
specifically : the fold of the front of a coat that is usually a continuation of the collar
lapelled adjective
or lapeled

Examples of lapel in a Sentence

He wore a carnation in his lapel.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 2015, Sellers famously shamed then-Mayor Michael Hancock when the city failed to buy a 60-year service lapel pin and instead gave her a 15-year pin as a placeholder. Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025 Discreetly pinned to her lapel was Queen Alexandra’s Three Feathers Brooch, which is traditionally worn by the woman married to the Prince of Wales. Clara Strunck, Glamour, 3 Dec. 2025 The pants were paired with a black velvet blazer with satin peak lapels, creating a luxurious tuxedo-style upper half, and a crisp white dress shirt worn open at the collar for a more relaxed. Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 2 Dec. 2025 Stay warm and stylish with a wide-lapel wrap coat similar to Mariska Hargitay’s or a slim, off-white alternative that’s a striking lookalike for Kristin Chenoweth’s. Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lapel

Word History

Etymology

diminutive of lap entry 1

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lapel was in 1789

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lapel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lapel. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

lapel

noun
la·​pel lə-ˈpel How to pronounce lapel (audio)
: the fold of the front of a coat that is usually a part of the collar

More from Merriam-Webster on lapel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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