vest

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a sleeveless garment for the upper body usually worn over a shirt
b
: a protective usually sleeveless garment (such as a life preserver) that extends to the waist
c
: an insulated sleeveless waist-length garment often worn under or in place of a coat
2
a
chiefly British : a man's sleeveless undershirt
b
: a knitted undershirt for women
3
: a plain or decorative piece used to fill in the front neckline of a woman's outer garment (such as a blouse or dress)
4
archaic
a
: a loose outer garment : robe
b
vestlike adjective

vest

2 of 2

verb

vested; vesting; vests

transitive verb

1
a
: to grant or endow with a particular authority, right, or property
the plan vests workers with pension benefits after 10 years of service
b
: to place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority
especially : to give to a person a legally fixed immediate right of present or future enjoyment of (such as an estate)
2
: to clothe with or as if with a garment
especially : to robe in ecclesiastical vestments

intransitive verb

1
: to become legally vested
2
: to put on garments or vestments

Examples of vest in a Sentence

Verb “By the power vested in me by the state,” intoned the minister, “I now pronounce that you are married” vested the power to access their retirement accounts with their attorney
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The three of us wore orange vests to seem official. Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 The Emma vest and skirt combination is really special and unique, especially because it’s made with such wearable fabric. Maia Torres, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Though sophisticated weaponry donated by the West gets much of the attention, the items raised through Ukrainian crowdfunding — like warm clothing, bulletproof vests and drones — are things soldiers need and help lift morale. Daria Mitiuk, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 While keeping some of the menu details close to the vest for the time being, Emily said patrons can look forward to high-end cocktails. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 On Senior Day, which featured a game against Ohio State, Jake from State Farm (whose real name is Kevin Miles) will be sporting an identical vest that Juszczyk created, too. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Palm trees, pastel, vests over polo shirts, floral patterns, salmon pants, topiary; couples in athleisure ensembles walked with golden retrievers and copies of the weekend New York Times. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 The Linen collection includes a cropped boyfriend shirt, a button-up, trousers, a cargo and crop top worn by Tyla in the campaign video, a halter vest, a cargo wide-leg pant, a long-sleeve button-up, and ‘90s loose pants. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 27 Feb. 2024 The Oscar winner opted for a three-piece suit, wearing a plunging gray vest, sans shirt, which showed off her décolleté; cuffed cigarette pants; and a blazer. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Natural law is founded upon universal principles, which conceptualize self-ownership and private property as absolute rights that vest in all human beings and apply equally to all. Wanjiru Njoya, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2024 The board was vested with substantial authority, as reported by Wired, including the ability to elect and dismiss directors, as well as modify the number of members. Muddu Sudhakar, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 These shares will only vest if Carlyle shares hit key levels. Dawn Lim, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2024 Musk hasn’t yet exercised any of the options that have vested thus far; in McCormick’s view, that makes reversing the pay package a relatively simple matter. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 In short: If a power is legislative, it may only be vested in Congress and exercised by Congress. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 Feb. 2024 Under that program, players would be given grants that vested over time based on, among other things, career accomplishments. Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 Walmart said the stock grants will vest over a three-year period, with ownership for one-twelfth of the grant total coming every quarter. Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2024 His 2023 compensation package included up to 750,000 stock awards that vest once certain performance criteria are reached. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vest.' 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

French veste, from Italian, from Latin vestis garment

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French vestir to clothe, invest, vest, from Latin vestire to clothe, from vestis clothing, garment — more at wear

First Known Use

Noun

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of vest was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near vest

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

vest

1 of 2 verb
1
: to place or give into the possession or control of some person or authority
powers vested in the presidency
2
: to clothe in vestments

vest

2 of 2 noun
1
: a sleeveless garment usually worn under a suit coat
2
: a protective garment (as a life preserver) that reaches to the waist
3
: a knitted undershirt for women
Etymology

Verb

Middle English vesten "to give into the possession or control of someone," from early French vestir "to dress with clothes, to give power or authority to," from Latin vestire "to clothe," from vestis "clothing, garment"

Noun

from French veste "robe, garment," from Italian veste (same meaning), from Latin vestis "clothing, garment"

Legal Definition

vest

verb

transitive verb

1
: to place in the possession, discretion, or province of some person or authority
all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United StatesU.S. Constitution art. I
a timely notice of appeal vests jurisdiction in the appeals court
specifically : to give to a person a fixed and immediate right of present or future enjoyment of (as an estate)
an interest vested in the beneficiary
2
: to grant or endow with a particular authority, right, or property
vest a judge with discretion

intransitive verb

: to become vested
specifically : to entitle one unconditionally to the payment of pension benefits upon termination or retirement
his pension interest will vest after ten years with the company
compare mature
Etymology

Verb

Anglo-French vestir, literally, to clothe, from Old French, from Latin vestire

More from Merriam-Webster on vest

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