noun
-
(often plural) an article of clothing
-
outer covering
verb
Other Word Forms
- garmentless adjective
- regarment verb (used with object)
- ungarmented adjective
- well-garmented adjective
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
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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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.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Lawrence Bennett wasn’t only a guardian of the green jackets — the iconic garment of Augusta National — but he also oversaw their cremation.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
It said the combined company would be better positioned to compete with well-resourced companies that are increasing their garment and facility offerings in what is a growing and competitive market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
It’s work far more obscured than what’s typical for Oscar voters, to whom a cinematographer can show a frame, a costume designer can hold up a garment, an actress can point to a monologue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
"It was a big slap in the face when the tariffs were announced," said Tomi Mäkelä, general manager of Thailand's Lanna Clothing, a garment exporter.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
Mama had sometimes worked in the garment center, and so did my sister Geraldine.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
