fatigues

American  

[fuh-teegz] / fəˈtigz /

plural noun

1. a military uniform worn while performing manual labor or while in the field.

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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.

Example Sentences

Standing by the memorial are two masked men in military fatigues with medals pinned to their chests.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Reese has spent the past 15 years in and out of remission with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which often fatigues him, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

Has he merely—as some seem to believe—swapped combat fatigues for a tie, or has he undergone a genuine political and moral conversion?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Sharaa himself, a former al-Qaeda commander-turned-Islamist rebel leader, has shucked his military fatigues for a tailored Western-style suit and now positions himself as a pragmatist.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

The four men in fatigues lifted the coffin on slings and lowered it into the grave.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller