noun

haircut

HEH-uh-kuht

noun

The act of trimming or styling someone's hair, or the resulting style.

"He got a fresh haircut before the job interview."

"Her new haircut made her look years younger."

In finance, a reduction in the value of an asset or in the amount creditors are repaid.

"Bondholders were forced to accept a 30% haircut on their investment."

"The bank applies a haircut to risky collateral before lending against it."

How to Use Haircut

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a trim/style of your hair, or, in finance, a cut taken off the value of an asset or debt.

When to use it

The financial sense is common in banking and investing contexts, not everyday conversation.

Common pairings

get a haircut a bad haircut take a haircut on the loan

haircutted past tense, haircuts plural, haircuts singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

He got a fresh _____ before the job interview.

A plain combination of "hair" and "cut." The financial meaning developed later as a figurative extension — a "trim" taken off an asset's value.