Showing results for plain clothes. Search instead for buying clothes.

plain clothes

American

Or plainclothes

plural noun

clothing other than one's uniform, especially civilian clothes worn on duty by a police officer.

plain clothes British

plural noun

1. ordinary clothes, as distinguished from uniform, as worn by a police detective on duty
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a plain-clothes policeman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of plain clothes

First recorded in 1815–25

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.

They shouldn’t wear plain clothes but uniforms that identify their agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

An M23 official confirmed to AFP Thursday that "police and soldiers in plain clothes" were still in Uvira as well as "our intelligence services".

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

The government says it has strengthened powers by enabling plain clothes officers to inspect Blue Badges and confiscate those being used misused.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

A second Gestapo agent in plain clothes was pawing eagerly through a pile of silver rijksdaalders and jewelry heaped on the dining room table.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023