chapeau

noun

cha·​peau sha-ˈpō 

shə-

plural chapeaus sha-ˈpōz 

shə-

or chapeaux sha-ˈpō(z) 

shə-

: hat sense 1

Vaughn has even brought in a French chapeau to participate in Funny Hat Day …

—Jack McCallum

Her most offbeat chapeau is a bouquet of silk roses turned upside down.

—Elle

… the fine-looking, bearded officer, who had so courteously doffed his chapeau to our Captain …

—Herman Melville

The chapeau has, after years of promising to do so, actually slid back into fashion's vernacular …

—Elle

Synonyms

• cap
• hat
• headdress
• headgear
• headpiece
• lid [slang]

Examples of chapeau in a Sentence

with her chapeau cocked jauntily to one side, the French actress was the very picture of Gallic insouciance

Recent Examples on the Web

Markle changed into a striped black and white top and skirt from Johanna Ortiz for the occasion, once again sporting her favorite brimmed chapeau and a pair of suede block heel sandals by Aquazzura. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2024

The hat, dear reader, looks like a not-so-distant cousin of the Harris-Walz chapeau. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2024

Her favorite details were the accessories—including her Roberto Coin jewels and a dramatic brimmed chapeau. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 27 July 2024

In the end, an audience member would win the chapeau. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Old French chapel — more at chaplet

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above