- 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.
Military fatigues are worn like a badge of honor in Jerusalem’s historic center, where young recruits sling automatic weapons over their shoulders.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
The two brothers' coffins, draped in the Iran-backed group's yellow flag, portraits of them in camouflage fatigues fixed to the front, led the procession through the village battered by repeated conflict over nearly three years.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
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
Mitchell Sanders carried a set of starched tiger fatigues for special occasions.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
