pleat
Americannoun
-
pleats
plural
verb (used with object)
-
pleats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pleated,
past participle, past
-
pleating
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pleatsimple
-
pleatssimple
-
have pleatedperfect
-
has pleatedperfect
-
am pleatingprogressive
-
are pleatingprogressive
-
is pleatingprogressive
-
have been pleatingperfect progressive
-
has been pleatingperfect progressive
Past
-
pleatedsimple
-
had pleatedperfect
-
was pleatingprogressive
-
were pleatingprogressive
-
had been pleatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pleat
1325–75; Middle English; variant of plait
Explanation
A pleat is a creased fold in fabric. Your long wool coat might have a single pleat in back, down toward the hem. Some pleats are creased sharply, or even stitched firmly in place, while others are looser. The pleats in a little girl's frilly dress or in a skirt that has pleats all the way around might be called "accordion pleats," while a kilt usually has one "box pleat" in the back, with simple "knife pleats" on either side. Pleat is also a verb, meaning "to make or sew a pleat."
Vocabulary lists containing pleat
The House on Mango Street
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Save Me a Seat
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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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:
In addition to changing the lighting and painting the walls, Miranda-Martin prioritized the window treatments, with pinch pleat curtains from Ikea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
And if I’m ever desperate for a sharp pleat, well, there’s always the dry cleaner for that.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2021
“We can’t produce them at the incredible rate she can pleat them, but they are delicious!”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2020
He may have given us the single glove as signifier, but he also understood the power of a well-placed pleat — especially before he began disappearing into the world of his own imagination.
From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2018
Rahel remembered the incident that made Lenin swim into focus as a Real Person for her and Estha, when they stopped regarding him as just another pleat in his mother’s sari.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Every meticulous detail — from Anne’s tailored pleats to how each woman eats an apple — is beguiling.
From Salon ● May 2, 2025
Elphaba’s is made of crooked tiers of micro pleats that gather under the brim to resemble mushroom gills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
One of them was very demure and mindful - think soft pastels, pussy bow blouses and pleats - as demonstrated by Chanel and Balenciaga.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024
Her bodice was fitted with skinny straps paired with a skirt of gentle pleats that fell to a train.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
An important-looking woman, with a sharp nose and a sharp glance and a wimple starched into sharp pleats.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
On the first day of Haute Couture Week, which featured a star-packed show from Schiaparelli and a galaxy-inspired Iris Van Herpen collection, Anderson sent out a highly wearable selection of heavily textured and pleated outfits.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Her white umbrella, matching wide-brimmed hat and long gauzy veil was complemented by a sleeveless turquoise dress over pleated white trousers.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
A new Alice + Olivia spring collection features long pleated skirts and silk bomber jackets with an ethereal tarot-card print that was made with the help of Leonardo AI and Adobe Firefly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Fabrics are variously folded like origami, appliqued, quilted, embroidered, beaded, gathered, pleated, printed, felted, dyed, etched, lasered and layered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
The sheer parrot green sari she pleated and tucked into her petticoat had been laid out for her on the bed by her mother.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Her designs are made using traditional techniques such as pleating and draping and she sources tartan from local fabric mills honouring the "craftsmanship of traditional kiltmaking".
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
The museum is clad in gray precast concrete panels, slightly angled from the wall in a way that suggests pleating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
Actress and musician Teyana Taylor scored one of the Gala’s best looks early in the night, with a dandified look that took pleating and accessories to the next level.
From Salon ● May 6, 2025
Re-creating the famous white halter dress from “The Seven Year Itch” required a now-rare pleating technique and reverse engineering a complex pattern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2022
Now I drift over to the counter displaying boring shirtwaists: rows and rows of white blouses with every imaginable variation of button or no button, lace or pleating.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
