- 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.
Born into a poor family in the western province of Artemisa on April 28, 1932, Valdes was instantly recognizable by his white goatee and green military fatigues.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
TV footage showed police commandos in fatigues entering the Senate building in Manila early on Wednesday evening, with anti-riot policemen with shields and helmets surrounding the perimeter.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Witnesses told the BBC that the Israeli soldiers had arrived disguised in Lebanese military fatigues and used ambulances with signs of Hezbollah's Islamic Health Organization.
From BBC ● Mar. 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
Others seemed to be regular living mortals - some in togas, some in modern business suits or army fatigues.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
