# white coat hypertension

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/white-coat-hypertension
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Elevated blood pressure measured by a medical practitioner and deemed to result from the patient's emotional response to the medical environment.

## Examples

- My blood pressure is high only because of white coat hypertension.
- I usually experience white coat hypertension when I see a new dentist.
- The doctor noted that my high reading was likely white coat hypertension, as I felt very nervous in the clinic.
- The nurse suggested I wear a heart monitor at home to prove that my high office readings are just white coat hypertension.
- Since your blood pressure drops back to normal once you leave the hospital, you probably have a case of white coat hypertension.
- Although his home readings remained within a healthy range, the patient exhibited consistent white coat hypertension during every clinical examination due to his underlying anxiety regarding medical settings.

## Origin

From white coat and hypertension, an 18th-century medical term. The compound describes the elevated blood pressure response triggered by the proximity of a practitioner wearing the traditional white clinical garment.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.