old hat

adjective

1
2
: lacking in freshness : trite

Example Sentences

I suppose my favorite joke's a bit old hat by now. Making hit movies is old hat for him.
Recent Examples on the Web One by one, mushers were called up from their tables to pick their starting positions, drawn at random from an old hat. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Mar. 2023 What’s old was new has gone back to old hat. Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 For Reddick, proving people wrong is old hat. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2023 The Masters is old hat. Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2022 For Ross, of course, this is old hat. Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Aug. 2021 For Baltimore, success was old hat. Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, 22 July 2021 Gelation theory is old hat in physics, but Johnson made the crucial observation that the process of milk coagulation can be characterized by the same kinds of equations that charted the upsurge of ISIS groups. Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2020 The practice is old hat among major studios, who have tested content since the Silent Era, seeking input from viewers outside of the entertainment industry for a real sense of how characters and story lines will fare. Sarah Krouse, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'old hat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of old hat was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near old hat

Cite this Entry

“Old hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20hat. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.

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