- articles of dress
- chiefly Brit
short for bedclothes
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
clothes /kloʊz, kloʊðz/USA pronunciation
n. [plural]
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- garments for the body;
articles of dress.
- The "th'' sounds in cloth "fabric'' and its plural cloths "pieces of fabric'' are pronounced quite differently from clothes "garments for the body and things you wear.'' Notice too that the meanings are different, and that one's clothes may or may not be made of cloth. The noncount noun clothing (the "th'' sound here is like that of clothes) is a more formal word for clothes, and it must be used when we want to refer to just one thing we wear:one article of clothing.
clothe /kloʊð/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], clothed or clad/klæd/USA pronunciation cloth•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to dress;
attire:clothed in elegant finery. - to provide (someone) with clothing:The church needs money to clothe the poor.
- to cover with or as if with clothing:The mountains were clothed in clouds.
clothes
(klōz, klōᵺz),USA pronunciation n.pl.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- garments for the body;
articles of dress;
wearing apparel. - bedclothes.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English clāthas, plural of clāth cloth
- 1. clothing, attire, raiment, costume, garb; vestments, habiliments.
clothe
(klōᵺ),USA pronunciation v.t., clothed or clad, cloth•ing.
- to dress;
attire. - to provide with clothing.
- to cover with or as with clothing.
- Middle English clothen, Old English clāthian, derivative of clāth cloth bef. 950
- 1. robe, garb, array, accouter, bedeck.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
clothes /kləʊðz/ pl n
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
clothe /kləʊð/ vb (clothes, clothing, clothed, clad) (transitive)
- to dress or attire (a person)
- to provide with clothing or covering
- to conceal or disguise
- to endow or invest
'night clothes' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):