vest
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vehstIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈvɛst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
CanadaUS
A man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat
canadaus
A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
british
A sleeveless garment, often with a low-cut neck, usually worn under a shirt or blouse.
A sleeveless top, typically with identifying colours or logos, worn by an athlete or member of a sports team.
Any sleeveless outer garment, often for a purpose such as identification, safety, or storage.
Clothing generally; array; garb.
verb
chiefly passive
To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely.
Provide with power and authority
“They vested the council with special rights.”
To clothe with authority, power, etc.; to put in possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; followed by with and the thing conferred.
Place (authority, property, or rights) in the control of a person or group of persons
“She vested her vast fortune in her two sons.”
To place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority; to commit to another; with in before the possessor.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat
Used this way, vest is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- waistcoat , used mainly in Regional English
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Clothe / placeverb
“She vested her vast fortune in her two sons.”
Provideverb
“They vested the council with special rights.”
More ways to use vest
- “They vested the council with special rights.”verb
- “The property vests in the trustees.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An interest in which there is a fixed right to present or future enjoyment and that can be conveyed to another.
A small pocket in a man's vest.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.