collar

1 of 2

noun

col·​lar ˈkä-lər How to pronounce collar (audio)
1
: a band, strip, or chain worn around the neck: such as
a
: a band that serves to finish or decorate the neckline of a garment
b
: a short necklace
c
: a band placed about the neck of an animal
d
: a part of the harness of draft animals fitted over the shoulders and taking strain when a load is drawn
e
: an indication of control : a token of subservience
f
: a protective or supportive device (such as a brace or cast) worn around the neck
2
: something resembling a collar in shape or use (such as a ring or round flange to restrain motion or hold something in place)
3
: any of various animal structures or markings similar to a collar
4
: an act of collaring : arrest, capture
collared adjective
collarless adjective

collar

2 of 2

verb

collared; collaring; collars

transitive verb

1
a
: to seize by the collar or neck
b
c
: to get control of : preempt
we can collar nearly the whole of this marketRoald Dahl
d
: to stop and detain in unwilling conversation
collar the guest of honor
2
: to put a collar on
collar a dog

Examples of collar in a Sentence

Noun He wore a shirt with a tight-fitting collar. She grabbed me by the collar. I bought a new collar for the dog. Verb The police collared the guy a few blocks from the scene. He collared me on my way out the door.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Fish collars are the offal of the ocean, among the tastiest parts of the fish, thanks in part to the bone that keeps them moist. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Telemetry collars are integral to tracking the population and wolves’ activities, and officials aim to have two collared wolves in each pack, typically on the alpha male and female. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 The case started when Leonard’s owner tracked the GPS collar and pressed the app button to flip on the collar’s flashing lights. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 In place of a classic necktie, each model wore a thick chunk of braided hair fastened to their collar. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 Mar. 2024 The cut surfaces will heal faster when the branch collar is left in place. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 This similar, ankle-length design with long sleeves provides great coverage for this time of year, and the pointed collar gives off the retro preppy vibe Katie Holmes has been sporting. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Slipped underneath the collar of a shirt, the bolo is the stuffy necktie’s much cooler cousin. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 In the coming centuries, collars took on a softer, decorative form and were made from materials such as brass, Tiffany silver and gemstones. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Five wolves — two juvenile females, two juvenile males and an adult male — with a mix of black and gray coats were examined, tested, crated and collared, and then flown to Colorado by volunteer pilots. Anna Kramer, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023 The film’s Boy Scout uniforms, Peter Pan collars and knee-high socks defined the film’s aesthetic and inspired Halloween costumes for years to come. Caroline Brew, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023 Lawrence took a walk with her son Cy in an oversized look: a tomato red knit lapel collared v-neck sweater with the sleeves rolled up over a white crew neck tee. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023 Drake collars Australia’s albums chart as For All The Dogs (via Republic/Universal) bows to No. 1. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2023 The area’s Half-Moon pack has a breeding male collared as V094. Kris Millgate, Field & Stream, 4 Oct. 2023 See tuxedos where the culottes are actually basketball shorts; choirboy collars as stiff and soaring as those of a high court judge; hammered bronze and silver sequins matched with sweats or T-shirts; and the most dramatic taffeta opera cloaks over ratty old tighty whities. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Guests are greeted by a large boar statue collared in neon, modeled after the Uffizi gallery’s Porcellino, while the dining room’s strigil motif is rendered in plaster and echoed in the curving banquettes and light fixtures. Sean Santiago, ELLE Decor, 8 Sep. 2023 If, say, Jazz or Cougar or Ute broadcasters are collared into shouting only glowing compliments about the team, even when the team sucks, what’s that do for the team and its patrons? Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

latinization of earlier and Middle English coler, borrowed from Anglo-French coler, colere "collar, necklace" (also continental Old French coler), going back to Latin collāre "neck band, collar," noun derivative from neuter of collāris "of the neck," from collum, collus "neck" + -āris -ar; collum, collus going back to dialectal Indo-European *k(w)olso-, whence also Germanic *halsa-, whence Old English heals, hals "neck," Old Frisian hals, hāls, Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Icelandic & Gothic hals

Note: Old French also has collier "collar for an animal," going back to Late Latin collārium, attested ca. 500, from collāre by suffix substitution; this is the source of modern French collier "collar, necklace." — The etymon *k(w)olso- is often taken to be based on Indo-European *kwel- "turn," perhaps as a thematized derivative *kwels-o-/*kwols-o- of the s-stem seen in Old Church Slavic koles-, kolo "wheel" (see wheel entry 1). Comparable would be Lithuanian kãklas "neck, throat," from reduplicated *kwo-kwl-o, the neck being the body part that turns the head. However, it has been objected that *kwo- in Germanic would not necessarily lose rounding. The precise formation is in any case limited to Italic and Germanic.

Verb

derivative of collar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of collar was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near collar

Cite this Entry

“Collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

collar

1 of 2 noun
col·​lar ˈkäl-ər How to pronounce collar (audio)
1
a
: a band, strip, or chain worn around the neck or the neckline of a garment
b
: a part of the harness of draft animals fitted over the shoulders
2
: something (as a ring to hold something in place) resembling a collar
collared adjective
collarless adjective

collar

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to seize by the collar
b
: to take possession of : grab
2
: to put a collar on

Medical Definition

collar

noun
col·​lar ˈkäl-ər How to pronounce collar (audio)
: a protective or supporting device (such as a brace or cast) worn around the neck

More from Merriam-Webster on collar

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