old hat

adjective

Synonyms of old hatnext
1
: old-fashioned
2
: lacking in freshness : trite
That joke is a bit old hat now.

Examples of old hat in a Sentence

I suppose my favorite joke's a bit old hat by now. Making hit movies is old hat for him.
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.
My driver was a Chevrolet employee trained to operate a motor sports vehicle, so this was probably old hat for him. — Keith Laing, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 Now, in the summer of ’26, OpenClaw is becoming, not old hat exactly, but more commonly implemented. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Today, the idea doesn’t feel old hat so much as depressingly immediate, as discussions of the ethical and existential ramifications of AI chatbots have migrated from the hypothetical to the everyday. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 June 2026 Personally, renting a car is old hat. — Hannah Chubb, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for old hat

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of old hat was in 1911

Rhymes for old hat

See All Rhymes for old hat

Browse Nearby Words

Old Harry
old hat
old helio
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Cite this Entry

“Old hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20hat. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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