armoire
Americannoun
-
armoires
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of armoire
First recorded in 1565–75; from Middle French; Old French blend of armaire and aumoire; see aumbry
Explanation
An armoire is a kind of wardrobe or freestanding closet. You can hang your clothes on hangers in an armoire, or put your folded sweaters on its shelves. These days, most armoires are antiques, tall movable cabinets made of wood that hold clothing. It was once less common for houses to be built with closets, and armoires gave people a place to store things out of sight. Armoire is a French word, from the Old French armarie, "cupboard or bookcase," with its Latin root armarium, "closet for storing implements or tools."
Vocabulary lists containing armoire
The Ottoman Empire: Furniture Words
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Warriors Don't Cry
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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:
Soon after, Greene’s work filled nearly every room of his former Palos Verdes home: lamps, shelves, an altar, an armoire adorned with a lotus flower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
The bird flees from her car’s trunk to a watermelon truck to the space behind an armoire, with adults and children, including the high-spirited young daughter, Linda, in hot pursuit.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
When there isn’t one built in, designer Lauren Caron of Studio Laloc says she and her team often create a free-standing closet with an antique armoire.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
This Instagrammer uses an armoire in the hallway to store sheets, and we love that the see-through doors give you a peek at all the pretty patterns inside.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2022
Out fell several rose-shaped chocolates wrapped in gold foil, identical to the one she had found in the miniature armoire.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Others sprawled across the president’s canopied bed, or peeked into the teak armoires or the cabinets in a kitchen where a man cooked rice in a large wok.
From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2022
Other 1918 flu-era design changes include using subway tiles in bathrooms for easier cleanup and built-in closets to confine clothes away from people and eliminate dust-catching armoires.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 18, 2021
Gomez recommends doing the same at home, making sure to dust behind beds, sofas, curtains and any large armoires or case pieces.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2021
Seeing the NFL plan for an uncertain future with rote certainty is like watching passengers on the Titanic carefully unpack their bags and place their clothes into cabin armoires.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2020
Behind him, confiscated treasures are crammed to the ceiling: rolled tapestries, grandfather clocks, armoires, and giant landscape paintings crazed with cracks.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
