clothe

[klohth]

See more synonyms for clothe on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), clothed or clad, cloth·ing.

to dress; attire.
to provide with clothing.
to cover with or as with clothing.

Origin of clothe

before 950; Middle English clothen, Old English clāthian, derivative of clāth cloth

Related formshalf-clothed, adjectivepre·clothe, verb (used with object), pre·clothed, pre·cloth·ing.re·clothe, verb (used with object), re·clothed or re·clad, re·cloth·ing.un·der·clothed, adjectivewell-clothed, adjective

Can be confusedcloth clothe clothes

Synonyms

See more synonyms for clothe on Thesaurus.com

1. robe, garb, array, accouter, bedeck.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clothe

Contemporary Examples

She details how he, for many years, wanted no one but her to wash, clothe, and feed him.
The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse Claims
Marlow Stern
November 6, 2014
The Daily Pic: Phil Collins shows how the toughest style can clothe a heart of gold.
Skinheads with a Delicate Touch
Blake Gopnik
September 20, 2013
As PJ O'Rourke once remarked, "The biblical injunction is to clothe the poor, not style them."
Treat the Symptom, Not the Measurement
Megan McArdle
November 1, 2012
It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him.
On African Refugees and Jewish Heartlessness
Emily L. Hauser
September 21, 2012
After all, I could barely bathe, feed, or clothe my widowed self.
A Daughter, Rediscovered on Facebook
Tré Miller Rodríguez
May 13, 2012

Historical Examples

And possibly her imagination would have been able to clothe it all with an unbroken forest.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
It remains but to clothe yourself and you are ready to start.
A Woman Tenderfoot
Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
What would all you parsons do to clothe your backs and feed your bellies?
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding
The treasuries of local speech were all too poor to clothe so wild a venture.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Wait till you hear the end—'and feed and clothe the distressed.'
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for clothe

clothe

verb clothes, clothing, clothed or clad (tr)

to dress or attire (a person)
to provide with clothing or covering
to conceal or disguise
to endow or invest

Word Origin

Old English clāthian, from clāth cloth; related to Old Norse klætha

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

Word Origin and History for clothe

v.

Old English claðian, from claþ (see cloth). Related: Clothed, clothing. Other Old English words for this were scrydan and gewædian.

clothe

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}clothe

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for clothe

Contemporary Examples

She details how he, for many years, wanted no one but her to wash, clothe, and feed him.

The Daily Pic: Phil Collins shows how the toughest style can clothe a heart of gold.

As PJ O'Rourke once remarked, "The biblical injunction is to clothe the poor, not style them."

It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him.

After all, I could barely bathe, feed, or clothe my widowed self.

Historical Examples

And possibly her imagination would have been able to clothe it all with an unbroken forest.

It remains but to clothe yourself and you are ready to start.

What would all you parsons do to clothe your backs and feed your bellies?

The treasuries of local speech were all too poor to clothe so wild a venture.

Wait till you hear the end—'and feed and clothe the distressed.'

clothe

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for clothe

v.

Origin of clothe