civilian clothes
Americanplural noun
-
everyday or ordinary clothing, as distinguished from a military uniform.
-
Informal. ordinary clothing as distinguished from a uniform, clerical garb, or work clothes.
Etymology
Origin of civilian clothes
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
When Johannes Høesflot Klæbo strolls down Sixth Avenue in civilian clothes, he could pass for any number of New York City’s better-looking characters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Machado said a group of heavily armed men in civilian clothes seized Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, in the Los Chorros district of Caracas.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
He repeats the tall tales, and he sympathizes with their struggles with wanderlust and the challenge of finding civilian clothes that fit and are affordable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Reports suggest armed Hamas units have already deployed across several districts, some wearing civilian clothes and others in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
I had new clothes, made by tailors in the camp who ripped apart military uniforms at the seams and refashioned them into civilian clothes.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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.
