robe
Americannoun
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robes
plural
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a long, loose or flowing gown or outer garment worn by men or women as ceremonial dress, an official vestment, or garb of office.
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any long, loose garment, especially one for wear while lounging or preparing to dress, as a bathrobe or dressing gown.
-
a woman's gown or dress, especially of a more elaborate kind.
a robe for the evening.
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robes, apparel in general; dress; costume.
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a piece of fur, cloth, knitted work, etc., used as a blanket, covering, or wrap.
a buffalo robe; a lap robe.
verb (used with object)
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robes,
present (3rd person singular)
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robed,
past participle, past
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robing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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robes,
present (3rd person singular)
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robed,
past participle, past
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robing
present participle
noun
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any loose flowing garment, esp the official vestment of a peer, judge, or academic
-
a dressing gown or bathrobe
-
informal a wardrobe
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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robesimple
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robessimple
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have robedperfect
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has robedperfect
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am robingprogressive
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are robingprogressive
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is robingprogressive
-
have been robingperfect progressive
-
has been robingperfect progressive
Past
-
robedsimple
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had robedperfect
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was robingprogressive
-
were robingprogressive
-
had been robingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of robe
1225–75; Middle English < Old French: originally, spoil, booty < Germanic (akin to rob ); compare Old High German roub > German Raub
Explanation
A robe is a loose piece of clothing that you might wear over your pajamas or put on when you get out of the shower. Most robes tie around the waist with a fabric belt. There are dressier types of robes as well, like the ceremonial robes a judge wears in a courtroom or the elegant robes worn by a queen on a formal occasion. You can also use robe a verb, meaning "to dress or clothe," or literally "to put on a robe." Robe shares a Germanic root with rob, most likely from the idea that robbers would "take garments from the enemy as spoils or booty."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the casting call, I was handed a satin robe and pointed toward a small tent where I could change and a large tent with the photo crew inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
With a few strokes of his pencil, Filippo Sorcinelli brought to life a flowing liturgical robe -- fitting for the man whose artistry and faith have cemented an international reputation for one-of-a-kind ecclesiastical attire.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Its camera captures him walking to the traffic’s edge, wearing a robe and holding a Tibetan flag on a long pole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
While she wore a white robe and slippers, Jake wore a black Under Armour top and shorts with white trainers.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
The lap robe was a blanket in the ship’s colors, with fringe.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
Days before the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opens, protesters from the Fair Games Coalition — wearing Jedi robes and Jar Jar Binks masks and carrying lightsabers — rallied together outside the new museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
We’ve got all the fancy soaps, deluxe robes and we added a washer and dryer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Competition is fierce for professional photographers at Beijing's tourist hotspots, including a scenic lake where women in flowy traditional robes pose for snaps to share on Xiaohongshu, China's massively popular lifestyle app.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A monk draped in burnt-orange robes faces a row of young men and women and tells them they're here on a mission to save their country.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Imagine him whirling around in his rose robes, a measuring string slung over his neck, calling out numbers.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
The Statue of Liberty, the copper-clad sculpture of a robed and crowned woman holding a torch above her head, sits in New York's harbor and draws millions of visitors each year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Switching gears again, he imagined himself an Oscar recipient, crowned and robed and serenaded by Josh Groban.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The manosphere’s sobriety is robed in strength and self-actualization, no different than the sleep routine, supplements, and squats that will sculpt the best version of you.
From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2026
Yet she’s also a protein-loading weight-lifting buff who favors all-black outfits and clear opinions, not a robed oracle speaking in riddles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
I would study pictures of martyrs—white- robed virgins fallen in death and the young, almost smiling, St. Sebastian, transfigured in pain.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Horror stories are regularly shared behind the closed doors of court robing rooms.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026
The presiding judge in the lawsuit, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, was in his robing room when he heard shouting on the floor.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023
In response to the note, the judge questioned the juror in her robing room with lawyers on both sides present.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 7, 2022
Over her decade in Baptist youth ministry, Dec. 24 meant prepping sermons at the church, sending out last-minute Christmas emails to her young people, robing up.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 24, 2021
Maybe he merely brushed against me as he was robing off the bed.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
