What does collar mean?
A collar is most commonly the part of a garment that encircles the neck, whether folded down on a shirt, raised against the cold, or stiffened for formality. By extension, it names any band worn around the neck — most familiarly on dogs, where it may carry identification tags or a leash — and, in technical contexts, a ring or sleeve fitted around a pipe, rod, or rotating shaft to hold components in place. The word also functions informally as a verb: to collar someone is to seize, stop, or detain them, often suddenly and without ceremony. Socially loaded phrases like 'white-collar worker' and 'blue-collar job' use the word to distinguish office employment from manual labor, while 'hot under the collar' conveys irritation or embarrassment. Derived forms include collared and collarless, and the word remains one of the most versatile everyday terms in English.
The part of a garment that fits around the neck; a band worn around an animal's neck; a ring or fitting joining parts of machinery or piping.
"He straightened his collar before walking into the interview."
Common in both everyday and technical contexts depending on sense.
To seize, stop, or detain someone, typically by taking hold of them.
"The police finally collared him outside the station."
Chiefly British informal usage; implies suddenness or lack of formality.
Standard plural used when referring to multiple garments, animals' bands, or mechanical fittings.
"The shop displayed a rack of crisp white collars."
When you 'collar' someone, you're grabbing them the way you'd grab a fugitive by his neckwear — and the phrase 'hot under the collar' has been describing flustered tempers since at least the 19th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of collar
Collar comes from the Old French 'coler', meaning neckband, which derives from Latin 'collum', meaning neck. The same Latin root gives English words such as 'choker'-related and neck-related terms like 'decolletage' and 'collet'. The verb sense, meaning to seize by the collar, developed naturally from the noun and appears in English from the early modern period onward.
Related word forms
How collar is actually used
In British English especially, 'to collar someone' is informal slang meaning to stop, seize, or detain them. The terms 'white-collar' and 'blue-collar', describing office versus manual work, derive from typical attire and remain widely used in economic discussion.
Easily confused with collar
A choker is a tight necklace worn high on the throat, while a collar is the part of a garment around the neck or a band for an animal's neck.
Color refers to hue or pigment, whereas a collar is a physical band around the neck — they differ by only one letter but are unrelated in meaning.