apparel

American  

[uh-par-uhl] / əˈpær əl /

noun

1. clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.

   Synonyms:

   vesture, costume, garb, dress, clothes

2. anything that decorates or covers.

3. superficial appearance; aspect; guise.

4. Nautical. the masts, sails, anchor, etc., used to equip a vessel.

5. Ecclesiastical. a piece of embroidery, usually oblong, on certain vestments, especially on the alb or amice.

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verb (used with object)

appareled, appareling, apparelled, apparelling

1. to dress or clothe.

   Synonyms:

   array, outfit

2. to adorn; ornament.

3. Nautical. to equip (a vessel) with apparel.

apparel British  

/ əˈpærəl /

noun

1. something that covers or adorns, esp outer garments or clothing

2. nautical a vessel's gear and equipment

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verb

1. archaic (tr) to clothe, adorn, etc

Other Word Forms

• overappareled
  adjective
• unappareled
  adjective
• well-appareled
  adjective
• well-apparelled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of apparel

1200–50; Middle English appareillen < Old French apareillier to make fit, fit out < Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, equivalent to ap- ap- ¹ + *paricul ( us ) a fit ( see par ¹ -cule ¹) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix

Explanation

Apparel is just another word for what you wear. Hopefully the apparel you wear to work — suits and heels — is very different from the apparel you wear on the weekends — pajama pants and bunny slippers. The noun apparel got its start from the Latin apparare, meaning to “prepare, make ready,” or ad-particulare, meaning “to put things together.” In the mid 13th century it evolved into a verb meaning “to equip.” It wasn’t until the next century that people began to use apparel as both a verb meaning “to attire” and as a noun meaning garments or clothing. Said 17th century British writer Thomas Fuller, “…Apparel shapes: but it's money that finishes the man.”

Example Sentences

Apparel stocks look particularly appealing against that backdrop.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Apparel group Catalyst was formed last year via the merger of department store chain JCPenney with Sparc Group, the owner of brands including Eddie Bauer and Nautica.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Apparel makers and retailers are in discussions as to who will bear the burden of the tariffs for orders already in process, said Goenka.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 27, 2025

It is unrealistic to expect small, developing economies to not run a trade deficit with the US, says Sheng Lu, a professor at the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies.

From BBC • Jul. 23, 2025

I'm applying this fall for the Fiber Science and Apparel Design program at Cornell.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• dress
• equipment
• garment
• gear