- present tense form of fatigue (3rd person singular).
fatigues
Americanplural noun
Etymology
Origin of fatigues
First recorded in 1830–40
Explanation
Fatigues are the casual clothes that military personnel wear. Fatigues sometimes have a camouflage pattern. When you see Army soldiers wearing camouflage trousers and jackets, you can say they've got their fatigues on. Another name for fatigues is "battledress," as opposed to the more formal dress uniforms worn by members of all military branches. Fatigues are what soldiers wear when they're working or engaging in battle. In the 1770's, fatigues meant "extra duties of a soldier," from fatigue, or tiredness. It came to also mean "military clothing" in the mid-1880's.
Vocabulary lists containing fatigues
The Things They Carried
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Fallen Angels
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This Week In Words: February 1–7, 2020
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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.
Some people waiting in food lines say they miss the leadership of a man who bestrode the island in his trademark green military fatigues and whose memory still looms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Then more than 70 people got out of the vehicles, men dressed in military fatigues and balaclavas, cheering and playing music.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Towards the end of last year, the Kremlin leader was on TV in military fatigues several times, oozing confidence, as he discussed the Ukraine war with his generals.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Dressed in olive green fatigues, Raúl Castro stood next to Díaz-Canel and a line of aged Cuban officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
He knew, even when he was wearing fatigues, the radio alone made him an obvious target.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
