toupee

noun

tou·​pee tü-ˈpā 

1

: a wig or section of hair worn to cover a bald spot

2

: a curl or lock of hair made into a topknot on a periwig or natural coiffure

also : a periwig with such a topknot

Synonyms

• hairpiece
• rug [slang]
• wig

Examples of toupee in a Sentence

the weatherman calmly adjusted his toupee after the wind nearly blew it off

Recent Examples on the Web

The chain’s Umbrella Tree is an eight-foot Tannenbaum that forgoes the traditional triangle shape and instead looks more like a Festivus pole with a spruce-tip toupee. —Bychris Morris, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2024

Michelle had a toupee, and an area was cut away where the scalp would be removed. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024

In Monsters, Kitty rips off Lyle’s toupee during a family fight at the dinner table. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2024

The book also inspired the dramatic scene Netflix’s Monsters in which Kitty Menendez (Chloë Sevigny) rips off Lyle Menendez’s (Nicholas Chavez) toupee at the dining room table. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French toupet forelock, from Old French, diminutive of top, toup, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German zopf tuft of hair — more at top entry 1

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

toupee

noun

tou·​pee tü-ˈpā 

: a small wig worn to cover a bald spot