Meanings
- datedUsed as an instruction for people to remove their hats out of respect, generally towards someone of importance.
"Hats off to the King!" shouted the Captain of the King's Own Guards.
1938 September 1, Dr. Seuss [pseudonym; Theodor Seuss Geisel], The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, New York, N.Y.: Vanguard Press, →OCLC1 more example
Soh! ſtand clear gentlemen.—Novv you knovv there vvill be a cry of dovvn!—dovvn!—hats off! ſilence!—Then up curtain,—and let us ſee vvhat our painters have done for us.
1781, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Critic: Or A Tragedy Rehearsed […], London: […] T[homas] Becket, […], →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 51 - figurativelyUsed to express approval or praise: congratulations, kudos, well done!
Hats off to the Jamaican bobsled team for their able representation of their country in the Olympics against serious obstacles.
1 more example
Hats off to Avanti West Coast staff at Crewe station, who found a simple but highly effective way to raise money for charity during the Coronavirus epidemic.
2020 December 6, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 71Synonyms: bravissimo, bravo, bully, cock on, congrats, congratulations, encore, fair fucks
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionUsed to express approval or praise: congratulations, kudos, well done!
Origin
Translations
Czech klobouk dolů
- klobouk dolůused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Dutch petje af
- petje afused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Finnish nosta hattua, nostakaa hattua
- nosta hattuaused as an instruction for people to remove their hats out of respect
- nostakaa hattuaused as an instruction for people to remove their hats out of respect
- nostan hattuaused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
French chapeau, chapeau bas
- chapeauused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
- chapeau basused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
German Chapeau, Hut ab
- Chapeauused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
- Hut abused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Hungarian le a kalappal
- le a kalappalused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Japanese 脱帽
- 脱帽 (datsubō)used to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Polish czapki z głów, chapeau bas
- czapki z główused as an instruction for people to remove their hats out of respect
- chapeau basused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
- czapki z główused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Slovak klobúk dolu
- klobúk doluused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Spanish quitar el sombrero, sacar el sombrero
- quitar el sombreroused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
- sacar el sombreroused to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Swedish hatten av (för)
- hatten av (för)used to express approval or praise — see also congratulations, well done
Cite this entry
hats off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hats%20off
“hats off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hats%20off. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hats off,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hats%20off.
Source: hats off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.