Showing results for "clad"

• past participle of clothe.

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• clad
  clad

  verb

  a simple past tense and past participle of clothe.
• clad-
  clad-

  variant of clado- before a vowel.

clad

¹ American  

[klad] / klæd /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of clothe.

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adjective

1. dressed.

   ill-clad vagrants.

2. covered.

   vine-clad cottages.

clad ² American  

[klad] / klæd /

verb (used with object)

clad, cladding

1. to bond a metal to (another metal), especially to provide with a protective coat.

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clad- ³ American  

1. variant of clado- before a vowel.

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clad ¹ British  

/ klæd /

verb

1. a past participle of clothe

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clad ² British  

/ klæd /

verb

1. (tr) to bond a metal to (another metal), esp to form a protective coating

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Etymology

Origin of clad¹

before 950; Middle English cladd ( e ), Old English clāthod ( e ) clothed. See clothe, -ed ²

Origin of clad²

First recorded in 1935–40; special use of clad ¹

Explanation

Clad means "dressed or covered." Most kids go to school clad in jeans and t-shirts, but students in the Shakespeare club might show up clad in velvet gowns or leather breeches. As a verb, clad is the past tense and past particle of “clothe,” as in “the leprechaun clad himself in green.” It’s also an adjective that describes being covered or clothed, so a building can be clad in brick, while a person can be clad in head-to-toe sequins. It’s an old-fashioned word, kind of like “shod,” which means “wearing footwear.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clad cladding

They are clad variously in red porphyry, black basalt, gray granite and yellowish sandstone from nearby Montjuïc, with emblems symbolizing the four evangelists, the 12 apostles and an assortment of Catholic saints and geographic regions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

My stomach was in knots as I pictured myself clad in a lemon chiffon dress looking like a dollop of meringue, doing the Viennese waltz — something resembling a Centrum Silver commercial.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their slain leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arbaeen, the most revered event in Shia Islam.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Michael Chybowski’s bold lighting brought out the rich, dusky hues of Susan Ruddie’s costuming, which suggested South Sea islanders clad in beachwear.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

G’ma appears from behind the RV, clad in camo—the kind that looks like a forest floor—from the cap on her head to the top of her orthopedic Velcro sneakers.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

The prosecutor's office is already investigating a criminal complaint regarding the 958,000-euro renovation of the tower's surrounding 700-metre wall, for which workers were painting a brick-effect concrete facade instead of laying brick cladding.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Fire safety investigations at the Bonnington Bond on Breadalbane Street revealed serious issues with the building's cladding and insulation.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

It has shortened interpreter hours, powered down escalators and ignored loose cladding on its 75-year-old headquarters in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

The price of aluminum, which is used for window framing, roofing and cladding, is rising, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

Everything pointed to the possibility that the fuel in the spent pool was no longer underwater, and that the zirconium cladding that encased the fuel rods had ignited.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland