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Showing results for top hat. Search instead for tophat.
Synonyms

top hat

1 American  

noun

  1. a tall, cylindrical hat with a stiff brim usually slightly curved on the sides, worn by men especially on formal occasions.

top-hat 2 American  
[top-hat] / ˈtɒpˈhæt /

adjective

  1. of or relating to polite or fashionable society.

top hat British  

noun

  1. Also called: high hat.  a man's hat with a tall cylindrical crown and narrow brim, often made of silk, now worn for some formal occasions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of top hat1

First recorded in 1800–10

Origin of top-hat2

First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of top hat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It made absolutely no sense, but she delivered it with such panache that it barely mattered – even when she ended the performance by pulling a dove out of a top hat.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

A commercial artist added the top hat, monocle and cane.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 26, 2025

Slash has become such a Halloween Horror Nights fixture that this year will feature a bar centered around the artist, one complete with a mini top hat as a dessert.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

Both Grimace and Uncle O’Grimacey are anthropomorphic characters but unlike his nephew, Uncle O’Grimacey is green in color and sports a top hat.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2025

He adjusted his top hat and looked out the window; his hands moved in circles to explain better, but no words came out.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.