waistcoat

noun

waist·​coat ˈwe-skət  ˈwās(t)-ˌkōt 

1

: an ornamental garment worn under a doublet

2

chiefly British : vest sense 1a

waistcoated

ˈwās(t)-ˌkō-təd 

adjective

Examples of waistcoat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Samson noted that throughout fashion history, only garments for women have been designed with rear closures, with the possible exception amid the utopian Saint-Simonian sect in 19th-century France, when men wore waistcoats that fastened from behind, requiring assistance. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025

Bravo to Dan Lawson for the many iterations of tweed, ties, French cuffs, and waistcoats, and my thanks to Derek Guy (a.k.a. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025

The staff uniforms—double-button jackets, waistcoats, and peaked caps in a shade almost midnight blue—mirror those of the 1930s, as does the quintessential white-glove service (minus actual white gloves), a living tribute to an age when train travel was more often elegant. —Erica Firpo, AFAR Media, 5 Nov. 2025

Plus, what’s with the buckles on the shoes and the hose and the waistcoats and the powdered wigs? —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for waistcoat

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote

Kids Definition

waistcoat

noun

waist·​coat ˈwes-kət  ˈwās(t)-ˌkōt 

chiefly British

: vest entry 2 sense 1