coat

I. coat¹ S2 W3 /kəʊt $ koʊt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cote]
1. a piece of clothing with long sleeves that is worn over your clothes to protect them or to keep you warm:
Billy! Put your coat on, it’s cold outside!
The kids took off their coats and threw them on the floor.
I need a new winter coat.
The lab assistants wear long white coats. ⇨ ↑morning coat
2. American English a jacket that you wear as part of a suit SYN jacket
3. the fur, wool, or hair that covers an animal’s body:
a dog with a glossy coat
4. a thin layer of a paint or other substance that you spread thinly over the surface of something
coat of
He applied a light coat of varnish.
⇨ cut your coat according to your cloth at ↑cut¹(43)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ types of coat
▪ warm I was wrapped up in a nice warm coat.
▪ heavy/light She was wearing a heavy coat and a thick scarf.
▪ a winter coat You’ll need a good winter coat in Canada.
▪ a waterproof coat I took my walking boots and a waterproof coat.
▪ a trench coat (=a long raincoat with a belt) a military-style trench coat
▪ a duffle coat (=a warm coat with a hood, and buttons shaped like tubes) He pulled the hood of his duffle coat over his eyes.
▪ a tweed/wool/sheepskin/leather coat I love her black leather coat.
▪ a fur coat (=made from an animal’s fur) In Moscow a lot of the women wear fur coats.
▪ a camel coat (=a thick pale brown coat made from wool, sometimes mixed with camel hair) He wore a smart camel coat over his suit.
▪ a morning coat/tailcoat (=a formal coat that men sometimes wear for weddings)
■ verbs
▪ wear a coat He was wearing a long coat.
▪ put on your coat Mark stood up and put on his coat.
▪ take off/remove your coat She took off her coat and went into the kitchen.
■ coat + NOUN
▪ a coat pocket I thought my wallet was in my coat pocket.
▪ a coat sleeve The small boy was pulling at his mother's coat sleeve.
▪ a coat collar He turned up his coat collar.
▪ a coat hook (=for hanging a coat on a wall) He hung his jacket on a coat hook in the hall.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

coat

coat [coat coats coated coating] noun, verb [kəʊt] [koʊt]

noun

1. a piece of outdoor clothing that is worn over other clothes to keep warm or dry. Coats have sleeves and may be long or short
• a fur/leather coat
• a long winter coat
• to put on/take off your coat

see also duffel coat, greatcoat, housecoat, overcoat, petticoat, raincoat, trench coat

2. (NAmE) (old-fashioned in BrE) a jacket that is worn as part of a suit

see also frock coat, morning coat, tailcoat, waistcoat

3. the fur, hair or wool that covers an animal's body
• a dog with a smooth/shaggy coat

• animals in their winter coats (= grown long for extra warmth)

4. a layer of paint or some other substance that covers a surface
• to give the walls a second coat of paint
see also topcoat, undercoat
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French cote, of unknown ultimate origin.
Thesaurus:
coat noun C
• Take your coat off if you're hot.
jacket • |BrE anorak • • mac •
a long coat/jacket/mac
wear/put on/take off/remove/do up/undo a/an coat/jacket/anorak/mac
Coat or jacket? Jacket can describe a piece of clothing worn indoors or one worn outdoors; a coat is usually only worn outdoors. A jacket usually comes down to the waist or hips, but not below; a coat is usually hip-length or longer.
Example Bank:
• Let me take your coat.
• Make sure the base coat has thoroughly dried before applying the top coat.
• The coat was buttoned up wrong.
• The dog sheds its winter coat once the weather becomes warmer.
• The room needs a fresh coat of paint.
• a coat of paint/varnish
• a dog with a long shaggy coat
• Apply a coat of clear varnish.
• The floor needs another coat of varnish.
• The windows were painted with undercoat and two coats of gloss.
• Why don't you take off your coat if you're hot?
• a fur coat
• duffel coat
• trench coat

Idiom: cut your coat according to your cloth

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

coat / kəʊt / / koʊt / noun [ C ] (CLOTHING)

A1 an outer piece of clothing with sleeves that is worn over other clothes, usually for warmth:

Do your coat up, Joe, or you'll freeze.

We need a coat hook on the back of this door.

See picture clothes 4

used as a combining form:

an overcoat

a raincoat

coat / kəʊt / / koʊt / noun [ C ] (ANIMAL)

the hair, wool, or fur covering an animal:

a thick/glossy/matted coat

coat / kəʊt / / koʊt / noun [ C ] ( also coating , / kəʊ.tɪŋ / / koʊ.t̬ɪŋ / ) (COVER)

a layer of a particular substance that covers something:

I'll give the walls a quick coat of paint.

two coats of varnish

a thick coating of chocolate

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

coat

/koʊt/
(coats, coating, coated)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.
A coat is a piece of clothing with long sleeves which you wear over your other clothes when you go outside.
He turned off the television, put on his coat and walked out.
N-COUNT

2.
An animal’s coat is the fur or hair on its body.
Vitamin B6 is great for improving the condition of dogs’ and horses’ coats.
N-COUNT: usu with poss

3.
If you coat something with a substance or in a substance, you cover it with a thin layer of the substance.
Coat the fish with seasoned flour.
VERB: V n with/in n
• coat‧ed
TV pictures showed a dying bird coated with oil...
Dip the pieces so they are completely coated.
ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ with/in n, adv ADJ

4.
A coat of paint or varnish is a thin layer of it on a surface.
The front door needs a new coat of paint...
N-COUNT: oft N of n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

¹coat /ˈkoʊt/ noun, pl coats [count]
1 a : an outer piece of clothing that can be long or short and that is worn to keep warm or dry
• She put on her coat, hat, and gloves, and then she went outside.
• a winter/fur/wool coat
b chiefly US : a piece of clothing that is worn over a shirt as part of a suit : jacket
• He was wearing a coat and tie.
• a sport coat
2 : the outer covering of fur, hair, or wool on an animal
• The dog has a thick/smooth/shaggy coat.
3 : a thin layer of paint covering a surface
• a coat of paint
• The house needed three coats to cover the original paint.
- coatless adj
• a shivering, coatless child