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hat

n. · v.
US //ˈhæt// UK //hˈæt// hat
  1. 1 a role or job (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a particular job or role that someone has at a certain time.

    a figurative representation of a specific role, capacity, or office held by an individual.

    Example

    In her job, she wears many hats, including designer and manager.

    Example

    The CEO had to wear his negotiator hat during the merger talks, setting aside his usual focus on internal operations.
  2. 2 typography/math symbol (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Math

    a small symbol like a little roof (^) placed over a letter or number.

    a diacritical mark or symbol, specifically the circumflex or caret, often used in mathematics to denote a unit vector or an estimator.

    Example

    In this equation, the letter 'x' with a hat on top represents a specific value.

    Example

    The professor explained that the hat symbol above the variable indicates a predicted value rather than an observed one.
    • circumflex
    • caret
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  1. 3 lottery container (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a container used to hold names or numbers for a random draw.

    a metaphorical or literal receptacle used for the random selection of names or numbers in a lottery or draw.

    Example

    We put everyone's name into a hat to decide who would go first.

    Example

    To ensure total impartiality, the names of all eligible candidates were placed in a hat for the final selection process.
  2. 4 to provide with a hat (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal

    to put a hat on someone or to make hats for a living.

    to provide with a hat or to cover with a hat; also used in the context of manufacturing headwear.

    Example

    The children were carefully hatted and gloved before they went outside.

    Example

    The historical drama required the costume department to hat over fifty extras in period-accurate Victorian styles.
    • unhat
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