clothe
Americanverb
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to dress or attire (a person)
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to provide with clothing or covering
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to conceal or disguise
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to endow or invest
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preclotheverb (used with object)
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reclotheverb (used with object)
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half-clothedadjective
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underclothedadjective
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well-clothedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clothesimple
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clothessimple
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have cladperfect
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have clothedperfect
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has cladperfect
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has clothedperfect
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am clothingprogressive
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are clothingprogressive
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is clothingprogressive
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have been clothingperfect progressive
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has been clothingperfect progressive
Past
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clothedsimple
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had cladperfect
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had clothedperfect
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was clothingprogressive
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were clothingprogressive
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had been clothingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clothe
before 950; Middle English clothen, Old English clāthian, derivative of clāth cloth
Explanation
To clothe someone is to give them something to wear, or to dress them in clothing. If you clothe your dog in cute outfits, you may traumatize him for life. You can clothe yourself, or someone else — for example, you might clothe yourself in black for a relative's funeral or clothe yourself in sequins and feathers for the school dance. You can also figuratively clothe someone or something, lending them a sense of power or respectability. Clothe shares a root with clothing and cloth, the Old English claþ, "cloth or sail," and also "woven material to wrap around oneself."
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.
See Examples For:
“It could be. But as a deceased priest once said: ‘Baby Jesus was born naked so that each nation could clothe him according to its culture.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
During that year, families struggled to afford food, clothe their children and heat their homes.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024
“Not only is food very expensive, but school supplies have also doubled in price. I also have to clothe my children and, above all, deal with their illnesses,” the 65-year-old said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
In addition to the jute garments Vargas wove to clothe Argote in for the performance, the show also includes a more straightforward painting, “Pain Body,” made in what Argote calls “ancestral” oil paint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
She was tired and run down anyway from trying to feed and clothe seven children and their father.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Tau doesn’t specifically advertise folding clothes as a capability on its website right now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
In 1905 Jacob Mohr, a German schizophrenic, believed that he was being targeted by an “oscillatory wave transmission device” and was found, on admission to hospital, to be wearing sheets of tinfoil under his clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Annual events such as the Oscars and the Emmys gave viewers a front-row seat to their favorite stars in designer clothes, while music award shows featured the hottest artists performing live.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
We rip our clothes on hearing of the death of a family member.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
She’s scanning my clothes to see if she approves.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Several of the women were found partially clothed and with injuries, but police have stressed that they have not established whether all the deaths are connected or whether a serial killer is responsible.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
So it may surprise some that Talbot’s favorite scene from “Love Story” involves both Kelly and Pidgeon fully clothed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The men are variously clothed in bloused tops and tights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
“We love to do what we do on farms — keeping people fed, clothed and moving. But we have to be able to make ends meet so we can keep operating.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026
He was clothed entirely in black, a black shirt and black pants and high black leather boots.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
On a rainy Thursday in Broken Bow, buyers clad in cowboy hats, plaid shirts and denim gathered for the regular indoor cattle auction.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The film is a satire about an impending climate change apocalypse that’s triggered by the drilling operations of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise, who looks nearly unrecognizable clad in prosthetics and greying hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
After a rousing performance by a white-robe clad vocal collective co-founded by Pharrell Williams, Lucas’ wife Mellody Hobson noted that, “George kept saying, ‘Will this person come?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
A posse of extras clad in white jumpsuits and little black aprons would occasionally flood the set, tidying up and moving the furniture into new configurations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He turned a corner sharply and nearly collided with two men clad in blue.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
It is expanding clothing, silks and shoe offerings in an effort to draw more shoppers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Those images and the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death were uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Jackson’s remains were found with clothing and shoes that were in fashion during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Price said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
“In Spain, we don’t have things like this,” said Elena Roig Roger, the founder of Dogtitude, an Ibizan line of dog and human clothing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
By 1916, food and clothing were becoming scarce in both countries.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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