Definition

Noun: 1. A piece of furniture or fixture with hooks or pegs for hanging coats and hats: A hatrack is a stand, often freestanding but sometimes wall-mounted, designed to temporarily hold outerwear such as coats, hats, and sometimes umbrellas.

Usage

The word "hatrack" is a compound noun. It is used to refer to the physical object itself. It is typically found in entries for homes, offices, hallways, or cloakrooms.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Please hang your coat on the hatrack in the hallway.
  • The old-fashioned wooden hatrack stood by the front door.
  • We need a hatrack so guests have a place to put their things.

Advanced Usage

• The term can sometimes be used metaphorically to describe a person who is very thin or who is used by others to hold items, though this is informal and less common.
  • After his illness, he was a mere hatrack of his former self. (Figurative, informal)

Variants and Related Words

• Coat rack: A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "hatrack."
• Hall tree: A type of hatrack that often includes a small seat or mirror.
• Stand: A more general term for a piece of furniture designed to hold or support something.

Synonyms

• Coat rack
• Hall stand
• Clothes stand

Antonyms

• There is no direct antonym, but conceptually, a storage box or drawer (for putting clothes away permanently) serves an opposite function.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "To be a hatrack": (Informal, figurative) To be extremely thin or to serve merely as a support for clothes or other items.
  • He's so skinny, he's just a hatrack for that suit.

Noun

1. a rack with hooks for temporarily holding coats and hats