A vest is a sleeveless jacket or piece of clothing that covers your torso.
When you think of a vest, probably what comes to mind first is a sports team's uniform or a firefighter's protective gear. But vests are also a common article of clothing for everyday people, especially in colder weather. You might wear a thin vest under your shirt and sweater to add some extra warmth, or put on a heavier one as an outer layer. Some people even have fancy leather vests that they wear with dress shirts and jeans for a stylish look. And then there's the more formal kind of vest called a waistcoat, which is usually worn with a suit and tie for special occasions.
How common is "vest"?
Word vest is considered uncommon in modern English. It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
noun
A loose robe or outer garment worn historically by men in Arab or Middle Eastern countries.
A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
A sleeveless garment, often with a low-cut neck, usually worn under a shirt or blouse.
A sleeveless top, typically with identifying colours or logos, worn by an athlete or member of a sports team.
Any sleeveless outer garment, often for a purpose such as identification, safety, or storage.
A vestment.
Clothing generally; array; garb.
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verb
To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely.
To clothe with authority, power, etc.; to put in possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; followed by with and the thing conferred.
Example: to vest a court with power to try cases of life and death
To place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority; to commit to another; with in before the possessor.
Example: The power of life and death is vested in the king, or in the courts.
To invest; to put.
Example: to vest money in goods, land, or houses
To clothe with possession; also, to give a person an immediate fixed right of present or future enjoyment of.
Example: an estate is vested in possession
(of an inheritance or a trust fund) To devolve upon the person currently entitled when a prior interest has ended.
Example: Upon the death of the Sovereign the Crown automatically vests in the next heir without the need of coronation or other formality.
(financial) To become vested, to become permanent.
Example: My pension vests at the end of the month and then I can take it with me when I quit.
