vest

noun

\ ˈvest

Definition of vest

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a sleeveless garment for the upper body usually worn over a shirt

b : a protective usually sleeveless garment (such as a life preserver) that extends to the waist

c : an insulated sleeveless waist-length garment often worn under or in place of a coat

2a chiefly British : a man's sleeveless undershirt

b : a knitted undershirt for women

3 : a plain or decorative piece used to fill in the front neckline of a woman's outer garment (such as a blouse or dress)

4 archaic

a : a loose outer garment : robe

b : clothing, garb

vest

verb

vested; vesting; vests

Definition of vest (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to grant or endow with a particular authority, right, or property the plan vests workers with pension benefits after 10 years of service

b : to place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority especially : to give to a person a legally fixed immediate right of present or future enjoyment of (such as an estate)

2 : to clothe with or as if with a garment especially : to robe in ecclesiastical vestments

intransitive verb

1 : to become legally vested

2 : to put on garments or vestments

Other Words from vest Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about vest

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Synonyms & Antonyms for vest

Synonyms: Verb

accredit, authorize, certify, charter [British], commission, empower, enable, invest, license (also licence), qualify, warrant

Antonyms: Verb

disqualify

Examples of vest in a Sentence

Verb

“By the power vested in me by the state,” intoned the minister, “I now pronounce that you are married” vested the power to access their retirement accounts with their attorney

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Cole went with an earthy palette, rocking a red vest, pants, and nude top, bedazzled by his own assortment of flowers and tied together with a decorative knot. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse Were a Walking Fairytale at the Met Gala 2019," 7 May 2019 Tensions among yellow vests and growing public fatigue with the protests have weakened the movement in recent weeks. — Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, "France’s Yellow Vests Are Unappeased and Back to Demanding Change," 27 Apr. 2019 After strapping on one of The Void’s VR headsets and haptic vests, players appear to each other as one of several different colorful cartoon characters. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "The Void’s Ralph Breaks VR puts players inside a giant interactive Disney movie," 21 Nov. 2018 Bombs hidden in printer cartridges and electronics that could sneak by scanners and dogs, non-metallic suicide vest, underwear bombs -- remember those? — Fox News, "Trump lashes out at media in fiery attack," 30 Aug. 2018 Andy Sparks, 24, works construction and still wore the yellow reflective vest from his latest project – building a bypass around the city of Portsmouth. — Scott Wartman, Cincinnati.com, "In Ohio, Democratic U.S. Senator Sen. Sherrod Brown may ride Trump country to re-election," 2 July 2018 At Waste Management's waste transfer center on Fruitridge Road, a couple dozen employees wearing gloves, masks, hard hats, eye protection and bright yellow vests pull recyclables and obstructions from a series of conveyor belts. — Ed Fletcher, sacbee, "If there’s trash in your recycling bin, you may face fines as costs rise for contaminated loads | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Mar. 2018 Thousands of yellow vests marched peacefully in the streets of Paris, from north of the city center through the Left Bank to the Trocadero plaza near the Eiffel Tower. — Sylvie Corbet, The Seattle Times, "France’s yellow vest protesters march despite bans, injuries," 30 Mar. 2019 In second picture, the adorable 1-year-old stands in the boat with a cute sailor hat, but no vest. — Eileen Reslen, Good Housekeeping, "Matt Roloff Addresses Concerned 'Little People, Big World' Fans After Photo Fiasco," 20 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Leaderfull movements, on the other hand, purposely push power out to the grassroots, vesting authority in local chapters rather than controlling from the top. — Leslie Crutchfield, Fortune, "Why the Best Leaders Give Their Power Away," 12 May 2018 The king’s duties, similar to those of the British monarch, are largely ceremonial since administrative power is vested in the prime minister and parliament. — Eileen Ng, The Seattle Times, "A look at Malaysia’s monarchy before sultans pick next king," 23 Jan. 2019 Newsletter Sign-up The restricted-stock program, which vests over two years, is being replaced with a direct stock-purchase plan. — Laura Stevens, WSJ, "Amazon to Raise Its Minimum U.S. Wage to $15 an Hour," 2 Oct. 2018 That’s not to say they aren’t vested in Bacon’s development, but the situations aren’t parallel. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Your Charlotte Hornets questions on salary cap, Cody Zeller, Tony Parker and more," 12 July 2018 Jurich will receive the annuity payments already vested, totaling $1.76 million ($220,000 per year through 2025). — Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, "$4.5 million check and game tickets among Tom Jurich's settlement haul," 18 May 2018 That includes a grant of stock worth $100.1 million that will be fully vested within about a decade regardless of the firm’s performance. — Fortune, "This Is How Much Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Got After IPO," 23 Feb. 2018 Acton exited Facebook a year before his final batch of stock options vested, a decision that ultimately cost him north of $800 million. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Facebook’s former Messenger boss calls WhatsApp co-founder a ‘new standard of low-class’," 26 Sep. 2018 Line managers then communicate individual payout sums in February and the actual payments, including bonuses vesting from previous years, usually arrive in March, according to two people familiar with the matter. — Bloomberg.com, "Deutsche Bank's Bonus Puzzle Just Got Tougher," 9 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for vest

Noun

French veste, from It, from Latin vestis garment

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French vestir to clothe, invest, vest, from Latin vestire to clothe, from vestis clothing, garment — more at wear

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Dictionary Entries near vest

Statistics for vest

Last Updated

3 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for vest

The first known use of vest was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for vest

vest

noun

English Language Learners Definition of vest

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a sleeveless piece of clothing with buttons down the front that is worn over a shirt and under a suit jacket

: a special piece of clothing that you wear on your upper body for protection or safety

British : a man's sleeveless undershirt

vest

verb

English Language Learners Definition of vest (Entry 2 of 2)

formal : to give (someone) the legal right or power to do something or to own land or property

See the full definition for vest in the English Language Learners Dictionary

vest

noun

\ ˈvest

Kids Definition of vest

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a sleeveless garment usually worn under a suit coat

vest

verb

vested; vesting

Kids Definition of vest (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to place or give into the possession or control of some person or authority The Constitution vests the Congress with certain powers.

2 : to clothe in vestments

vest

verb

Legal Definition of vest

transitive verb

1 : to place in the possession, discretion, or province of some person or authority all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States — U.S. Constitution art. I a timely notice of appeal vests jurisdiction in the appeals court specifically : to give to a person a fixed and immediate right of present or future enjoyment of (as an estate) an interest vested in the beneficiary

2 : to grant or endow with a particular authority, right, or property vest a judge with discretion

intransitive verb

: to become vested specifically : to entitle one unconditionally to the payment of pension benefits upon termination or retirement his pension interest will vest after ten years with the company — compare mature