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

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

Next to her was a colleague, Santiago Salazar, 22, clad in his black Mexican World Cup team jersey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Die-hard fans, many clad in American flags and US squad regalia, told the BBC they were convinced that whether the team won or lost, this World Cup could be a tipping point for the country.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

He was clad in shorts and a T-shirt, barefooting around his $42 million Nantucket estate while his 20-something girlfriend, Camryn D’Aloia, and two rescue dogs followed their own rhythm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

They were clad in bright robes that glittered.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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

More buildings will soon be able to access government funding to remove dangerous cladding, the government has announced.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 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

WASHINGTON—President Trump knows which slabs of white marble cladding to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts need to be replaced and what type of pipes run through the venue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

The Mini-Manbo, which had special cladding to shield it from radiation and sensors that would allow it to avoid dangerous radiation hot spots, was the right robot for the job.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland