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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The zipper is also full-length, extending from the bottom of the foot box to the collar. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024 She's made a memorial of her food bowls, ashes, collar, paw print and a flower. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
Chatmon was arrested in his hometown of Keansburg, and Walker was collared in his hometown of Barnegat, the prosecutor’s office said. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 25 Nov. 2024 The Display button abuts the eye cup and is collared by the Movie/Still mode toggle switch. PCMAG, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for collar 

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 1 Dec. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!