noun
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(often plural) an article of clothing
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outer covering
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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regarmentverb (used with object)
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garmentlessadjective
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ungarmentedadjective
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well-garmentedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of garment
1300–50; Middle English garnement < Old French garniment, equivalent to garni ( r ) to garnish + -ment -ment
Explanation
A garment is a piece of clothing. The area of New York City where clothes are manufactured is known as the Garment District. Derived from the French word for "equipment," garment is a somewhat generic term you can use when the specific kind of clothing you're describing is not the point. A dress, for example, is a dress, and pants are pants. They are not the same thing, unless you refer to them both as garments, in which case they are the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing garment
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Drama
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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.
See Examples For:
What is it about tailoring itself that continues to fascinate you, and do you see pleasure in the discipline and restraint of a perfectly constructed garment?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Shoppers often can’t tell from clothing labels what chemicals a garment contains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
But take a step back and consider the finished garment with the grace it deserves, and chances are, you’ll find something worth admiring.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
And France will impose a fee on ultra-fast fashion items from Tuesday that could eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment, as the government targets major Asian e-commerce platforms.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Frodo and his companions huddled round the fire, wrapped in every garment and blanket they possessed; but Strider was content with a single cloak, and sat a little apart, drawing thoughtfully at his pipe.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
She pulled out her phone to show me some of her work, which included garments she’d fashioned out of Trader Joe’s tote bags.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Salt crystals used to treat the garments were also reproduced on jackets and brooches.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
He found that many of the chemical residues in cotton and cotton-rich garments can wash out during laundering, but also that chemicals can migrate more readily from cotton than polyester into sweat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Kotsoni says the items to look out for are "draped garments, breezy materials and lots of bohemian and flowy silhouettes".
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Their gray robes hung like cloaks from their shoulders, and under the robes shone the richest, finest garments the children had ever seen.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
