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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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:
Most of the home’s antiques are Spanish and Peruvian, with some French, Chinese and English pieces; one weighty armoire had to be craned in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Other designers have used solutions both simple and elaborate — putting a TV inside an armoire, for instance, or installing a retractable under-bed lift.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 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
The bathroom armoire — which could hold the bedding of a smallish boutique hotel — is a lesson in decluttering.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2022
Beowulf in particular was wracked with guilt, for it had been his marvelous painting of the scene at Ahwoo-Ahwoo that seemed to have let the cannibal book out of the armoire, so to speak.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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“They should forget about their massive armoires and work with the capacity for storage in the new place.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 25, 2022
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
On “Cribs” there is, blessedly, little talk of vintage armoires passed down or bought at auction.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2020
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.