vest

Everyday

1. In the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, a piece of underwear without sleeves worn under a shirt (in the USA called an "undershirt" or "tank top"). tree →
2. In the USA and Canada, a sleeveless jacket worn over a shirt (in the UK called a "waistcoat"). tree →
3. A special sleeveless top that protects you or makes you easy to see: "a life vest", "a high-visibility vest". tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and safety, children wear high-visibility (hi-vis) vests on school trips near roads, and life vests on boats. In PE, coloured vests (bibs) show which team you are on. Phrases: life vest, hi-vis vest, bulletproof vest, string vest.

Examples

• Put on a vest; it is cold today. tree →
• Everyone wears a life vest in the canoe. tree →
• We wore bright yellow vests on the school trip. tree →
• He wore a smart vest over his shirt at the wedding. tree →
• The red team wear red vests. tree →
• Police officers wear protective vests. tree →
• He then went to the dead magician, took the lamp out of his vest, and bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back to China. tree →

Note

Countable: a vest, vests. The meaning depends on the country: British "vest" is underwear, American "vest" is a "waistcoat". Safety: always wear a life vest on a boat, and a hi-vis vest when walking near traffic in the dark.