bonnet

1 of 2

noun

bon·​net ˈbä-nət 

1

a(1)

chiefly Scotland : a man's or boy's cap

(2)

: a brimless Scottish cap of seamless woolen fabric compare tam o' shanter sense 2

b

: a cloth or straw hat tied under the chin and worn by women and children

2

a

British : an automobile hood

b

: a metal covering or cowl (as for a fireplace, valve chamber, or ventilator)

bonnet

2 of 2

verb

bonneted; bonneting; bonnets

transitive verb

: to provide with or dress in a bonnet

Examples of bonnet in a Sentence

Noun

He lifted the car's bonnet to check the engine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Anyway, Wharton and his new missus enter and take to the dance floor; while everyone’s attention is on the couple, the handmaids continue their work of making sure everyone wearing a white bonnet has her own personal death stick. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025

The selection of works indeed revealed a preference for male subjects unique in a movement typically associated with fetching representations of young women in sun-dappled gowns and bonnets and plump, rose-cheeked children. —James Meyer, Artforum, 1 May 2025

Verb

The land was valuable to two endangered species, Florida bonneted bats and the Miami tiger beetle. —Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2025

They are silhouetted in a forest, bonneted, wind-blown and sun-kissed. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bonet auxiliary sail, kind of cap, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Saxon gibund bundle, Old English bindan to bind

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1619, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bonnet

• bee in one's bonnet
• have a bee in one's bonnet
• Scotch bonnet

Rhymes for bonnet

• sonnet
• propionate

Kids Definition

bonnet

noun

bon·​net

ˈbän-ət

1

: a child's or woman's hat tied under the chin by ribbons or strings

2

: a soft woolen cap worn in Scotland

Biographical Definition

Bonnet

biographical name

Bon·​net bȯ-ˈnā 

Georges-Étienne 1889–1973 French politician and diplomat