civilian clothes

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plural noun

everyday or ordinary clothing, as distinguished from a military uniform.

Informal. ordinary clothing as distinguished from a uniform, clerical garb, or work clothes.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of civilian clothes

First recorded in 1885–90

The healthier appearance and civilian clothing are very peculiar.
ISIS’s Futile Quest to Go Legit|Jamie Dettmer|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We also have a language filled with distaste for the civilian “others.”
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall|Matt Gallagher|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police have unions, for one, and those unions influence the elections of their civilian leadership.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall|Matt Gallagher|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Growing up as a teen in the 1960s, she had yearned to wear the same clothes her girlfriends wore.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her daughter, Elaina, 24, a trained costume designer and makeup artist, helps out by sewing clothes.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At this same time they seized in Nangasaqui a servant of the father provincial, Matheo Couros, who was washing his clothes.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Not a dollar did he possess—not even did he have a suit of clothes any more, and wore every day his corduroys.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
For six days Mamma wept at intervals, and showed the woman in black all Punch's clothes—a liberty which Punch resented.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Little boys when decking themselves out with tall hat and monstrously big clothes seem to be trying to put on an alarming aspect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The door opened and a plain clothes detective entered the office.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke