windbreaker

UK/ˈwɪndbɹeɪkə(ɹ)/US/ˈwɪndbɹeɪkə(ɹ)/

nounC2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechleans spoken

Other forms: windbreakers

A windbreaker is a light zip-up jacket that keeps gusts out. Thin, rustly, and it packs into its own pocket.

It works by stopping the wind rather than by insulating, which is a genuinely effective trick, since most of the cold you feel outdoors is wind stripping warmth away. British English says windcheater or, more often now, a shell. It is not waterproof unless it says so, which is where most disappointment comes from. Runners and cyclists wear them over everything else.

Definitions of windbreaker

1nounwindbreakerA light jacket designed to keep out wind.C2
“He pulled a windbreaker on over his shirt.”

Also accepted in games: windcheater

Where it comes from

From wind + breaker, from a trademark of the John Rissman company.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 20 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

windbreaker in the wild

The trench coat was typically worn as a windbreaker or as a rain jacket, and not for sole protection from the cold in winter.
Trench coat
A windbreaker, or a windcheater, is a thin fabric jacket designed to resist wind chill and light rain, making it a lighter version of the jacket.
Windbreaker
A windbreaker often incorporates an elastic waistband, elastic armbands and a zipper to allow adjustment for weather conditions.
Windbreaker
According to John, you were happy to get a windbreaker at the end of the season.
John Levantis

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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