kimono
Americannoun
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kimonos
plural
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a loose, wide-sleeved robe, fastened at the waist with a wide sash, characteristic of Japanese costume.
-
a woman's loose dressing gown.
noun
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a loose sashed ankle-length garment with wide sleeves, worn in Japan
-
any garment copied from this
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kimono
1885–90; < Japanese: clothing, garb, equivalent to ki wear + mono thing
Explanation
A kimono is a lightweight Japanese robe. You might buy a kimono as a gift for your mom when you travel to Tokyo. A traditional kimono is nearly floor length, loose-fitting and with very wide sleeves. The cloth belt that ties around the waist of a kimono is called an obi. Both men and women wear kimonos, though they're more frequently worn by women. The word kimono literally means "a thing to wear" or "a thing to put on," from the Japanese roots ki, "wear," and mono, "thing."
Vocabulary lists containing kimono
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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East Asia - High School
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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:
At Wimbledon, she walked out in a Japanese kimono which I thought was so elegant.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Nowadays, young Japanese people... are not very interested that much in traditional art and in kimono."
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
I also found an indigo blue kimono to wear at an art event later this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
In Osaka, Japan, young women dressed in traditional kimono took part in a Shinto ritual procession to mark the end of the year at Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
Upon pulling out the kimono to inspect it further, Hanako saw that it was prettier than she had thought.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
These works reveal the evolution of Noguchi’s designs for furniture, kimonos, theatrical productions, plazas, gardens and his unrealized “Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Dressed in sky blue kimonos emblazoned with flowers, the dancers twist and twirl in unison in front of hundreds of spectators eager to see the annual "Miyako Odori" in the nation's spectacular ancient capital.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
They won’t let her wear all her fabulous flowy dresses and kimonos in the hospital, which is a loss.
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2025
Disused palace curtains have previously been used to make kimonos, which were auctioned last year.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024
We spent most days padding around the house in our kimonos.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
