- present tense form of clothe (3rd person singular).
plural noun
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articles of dress
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( as modifier )
clothes brush
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short for bedclothes
Usage
Spelling tips for clothes The word clothes is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it sounds like the verb close, but it is spelled differently. Also, the word clothes is different from the plural of cloth (cloths), but the two are easily confused for one another. How to spell clothes: You aren't finished putting on clothes until you've tied Each Shoe (-es). Remembering that you need Each Shoe, or -es, at the end to finish getting dressed can help you spell clothes correctly.
Etymology
Origin of clothes
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English clāthas, plural of clāth cloth
Compare meaning
How does clothes compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Clothes rhymes with "nose," and your nose is one of the few body parts you don't often cover with clothes. Pants, shirts, and coats are types of clothes. Clothes comes from the word cloth — it's true: Most clothes are made of cloth, or fabric. Whether you wear suits, uniforms, or jeans, clothes cover the body, just as bed clothes is a term for the sheets and blankets that cover a bed. You can show your style with the clothes you wear, or you might just throw on whatever clothes are clean (or sort of clean) and available.
Vocabulary lists containing clothes
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.
The two of them only had time to grab a small bag each, containing a few clothes and some medication.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
In 2018 Andrade said she sold her UFC clothes, backpack and gloves because she was struggling to get sponsors, but added that she was "paid really well" in the promotion.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Following his previous film, “The Neon Demon,” “Her Private Hell” finds the director returning to some of his beloved motifs, such as impossibly glamorous yet noir-tinged spaces populated by blank-faced beauties in wickedly chic clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
These are temporary periods in late summer when a state waives or reduces taxes on items such as school supplies, clothes or electronics to help families cut their back-to-school costs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
She had not said a word to Peter since Karli’s rescue, not even when he came downstairs dressed in Uncle Manfred’s clothes and clogs.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
