51Թ

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vest

[vest]

noun

  1. a close-fitting, waist-length, sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, designed to be worn under a jacket.

  2. a part or trimming simulating the front of such a garment; vestee.

  3. a waist-length garment worn for protective purposes.

    a bulletproof vest.

  4. a sleeveless, waist- or hip-length garment made of various materials, with a front opening usually secured by buttons, a zipper, or the like, worn over a shirt, blouse, dress, or other article for style or warmth.

    a sweater vest; a down vest.

  5. British.an undervest or undershirt.

  6. a long garment resembling a cassock, worn by men in the time of Charles II.

  7. Archaic.

    1. dress; apparel.

    2. an outer garment, robe, or gown.

    3. an ecclesiastical vestment.



verb (used with object)

  1. to clothe; dress; robe.

  2. to dress in ecclesiastical vestments.

    to vest a bishop.

  3. to cover or drape (an altar).

  4. to place or settle (something, especially property, rights, powers, etc.) in the possession or control of someone (usually followed byin ).

    to vest authority in a new official.

  5. to invest or endow (a person, group, committee, etc.) with something, as powers, functions, or rights.

    to vest the board with power to increase production; to vest an employee with full benefits in the pension plan.

verb (used without object)

  1. to put on vestments.

  2. to become vested in a person, as a right.

  3. to devolve upon a person as possessor; pass into possession or ownership.

vest

/ ɛ /

noun

  1. US and Canadian equivalent: T-shirt. undershirt.Austral equivalent: singlet.an undergarment covering the body from the shoulders to the hips, made of cotton, nylon, etc

  2. Austral equivalent: singlet.a similar sleeveless garment worn as outerwear

  3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): waistcoat.a man's sleeveless waistlength garment worn under a suit jacket, usually buttoning up the front

  4. obsoleteany form of dress, esp a long robe

“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

verb

  1. to place or settle (power, rights, etc, in)

    power was vested in the committee

  2. to bestow or confer (on)

    the company was vested with authority

  3. (usually foll by in) to confer (a right, title, property, etc, upon) or (of a right, title, etc) to pass (to) or devolve (upon)

  4. (tr) to clothe or array

  5. (intr) to put on clothes, ecclesiastical vestments, etc

“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
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • vestless adjective
  • vestlike adjective
  • ˈٱ adjective
  • ˈˌ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of vest1

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Italian veste robe, dress < Latin vestis garment; (v.) late Middle English < Middle French vestir < Latin ī to clothe, derivative of vestis; akin to wear
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of vest1

C15: from Old French vestir to clothe, from Latin ī, from vestis clothing
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. play it close to the vest, to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The site of Noem in a baseball hat and ballistic vest was startling, and Medina said she began to record her with her phone.

From

But Robert - who wears a bullet-proof vest and carries a pair of handcuffs - is careful to point out that he is not a real policeman.

From

Within seconds, he said, one of them — wearing a vest with “Border Patrol Federal Agent” written on the back — approached him.

From

On Friday morning, Julia Meltzer was on her way to work and had just turned left on Virgil Avenue from 6th Street when she saw a number of men in bulletproof vests.

From

And at least nine continue to receive corporate benefits from their private-sector employers, including health insurance, stock vesting plans or retirement savings programs.

From

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When To Use

What is a basic definition ofvest?

A vest is an article of clothing worn on the upper body, with no sleeves and with buttons down the front. The word vest is also used generally to refer to any similar garment. As a verb, vest means to put something in the possession of another person. Vest has several other senses as a noun and a verb.In the United States, the word vest refers to a sleeveless garment usually worn over a shirt and sometimes under a jacket. A vest is generally not supposed to be worn by itself.



  • Real-life examples: The Disney cartoon character Goofy usually wears a black or brown vest over an orange shirt. If you wear a tuxedo, you will often wear a vest with it.


  • Used in a sentence: A man’s three-piece suit includes a suit coat, vest, and trousers.


The word vest is also used to refer to other garments that lack sleeves and end at the waist.



  • Real-life examples: Police officers wear bulletproof vests for protection. Airplanes, boats, and public pools keep life vests available to keep people from drowning. Hunters wear hunting vests with many pockets to store supplies.


  • Used in a sentence: The professor could always be seen smoking a pipe and wearing a sweater vest.


As a verb, vest means to give power, rights, or responsibility to another person. This sense of vest is usually written as “vest in.”



  • Real-life example: Most Americans are likely familiar with this sense of vest if they have attended a wedding: A religious figure will alert the attendees that a state has vested in them the power and authority to join people in a legally recognized marriage.


  • Used in a sentence: Executive power is vested in the President through the Constitution.


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.

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vessel elementVesta