Phrase guide

hat trick

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: hăt′rĭk
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhætˌtɹɪk/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhæt.ɹɪk/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ætɹɪk

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any magic trick performed with a hat, especially one involving pulling an object (traditionally a rabbit) out of an apparently empty hat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: literal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc., such as three consecutive wins.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • Ever heard of a Gordie Howe hat trick? It comprises a goal, an assist, and a fighting major penalty.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc., such as three consecutive wins.

The act of striking out three times in a game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, ironic, specifically

Topics: ball-games, baseball, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • Jones got a hat trick yesterday. Let’s see if he can do better today.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc., such as three consecutive wins.

Three goals scored by one player in a game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, specifically

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, ice-hockey, lifestyle, skating, soccer, sports

Examples

  • In ice hockey, it’s customary for fans to throw their hats on to the rink after a player scores a hat trick.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc., such as three consecutive wins.

Three tries scored by one player in a game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, specifically

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, rugby, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Three achievements or incidents that occur together, usually within a certain period of time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Qualifier: generally

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • The car salesman came home with front-row seats to the weekend game after achieving a hat trick by selling three cars that day.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A means of securing a seat in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament placing their hat upon it during an absence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, historical, rare

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

(sports) three consecutive scores by one player or three scores in one game (as in cricket or ice hockey etc.)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: score

History

Etymology

Exocentric compound of hat (“head covering”, noun) + trick (“element of a magician’s or variety entertainer’s act; entertaining and difficult physical action”, noun). Sense 2 (“achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls”)—the original sporting sense—refers to the commemorative hat formerly given as a prize to the bowler by his club.

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: hattutemppu — magic trick performed with a hat
  • Polish: trik z kapeluszem — magic trick performed with a hat
  • Afrikaans: driekuns — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Arabic: هاتريك — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Armenian: հեթ-տրիկ (hetʻ-trik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Basque: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Belarusian: хет-трык (xjet-tryk) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Bengali: হ্যাট্রিক (hêṭrik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Bulgarian: хеттрик (hettrik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Catalan: triplet — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 連中三元 /连中三元 — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 帽子戲法 /帽子戏法 (màozi xìfǎ) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Czech: hattrick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Danish: hattrick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Dutch: hattrick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Estonian: kübaratrikk — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Faroese: hattrikk — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Finnish: hattutemppu — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • French: coup du chapeau — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • French: tour du chapeau — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Galician: triplete — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • German: Hattrick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Greek: χατ τρικ — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Hindi: हैट्रिक (haiṭrik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Hungarian: mesterhármas — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Indonesian: trigol — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Irish: tréchleas — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Italian: tripletta — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Japanese: ハットトリック (hatto torikku) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Kazakh: хет-трик (xet-trik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Korean: 해트트릭 (haeteuteurik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Latvian: hat trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Latvian: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Macedonian: хет-трик (het-trik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Malayalam: ഹാട്രിക് (hāṭrikŭ) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Marathi: हॅटट्रिक (hĕṭaṭrik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Nepali: ह्याट्रिक (hyāṭrik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Persian: هتتریک — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Polish: hat trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Portuguese: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Punjabi: ہیٹ ٹرک (heṭ ṭrk) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Romanian: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Romanian: triplu — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Russian: хет-трик (xet-trik) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Slovak: hetrik — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Slovene: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Spanish: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Swedish: hattrick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Swedish: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Thai: แฮตทริก — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Turkish: hat trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Ukrainian: хет-трик (xet-tryk) — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Urdu: ہیٹ ٹرک — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Vietnamese: hat-trick — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Welsh: hat-tric — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Welsh: camp lawn — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Welsh: trithro — three achievements in a single game, competition, season, etc.
  • Finnish: hattutemppu — three achievements or incidents that occur together, usually within a certain period of time
  • Polish: hat trick — three achievements or incidents that occur together, usually within a certain period of time
  • Finnish: paikan pitäminen hatulla — means of securing a seat in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament placing their hat upon it during an absence
  • Polish: hat trick — means of securing a seat in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament placing their hat upon it during an absence