kimono
Americannoun
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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
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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
Then, if I dive deeper into Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Anderson asked him if would play a karate instructor and sent him a photo of a tiger... in a martial arts kimono.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
I wish Harvard had opened the kimono and listened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
It was, I think, someone with a sense of humour who thoughtfully placed the scarlet kimono on the top of my suitcase whilst I was interviewing people in the dining car.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Olwande Akoth, a designer showcasing her upcycled kimonos at the fashion show, once traded in second-hand bales but often felt disheartened by their poor quality.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025
He took two kimonos with him to Nova, according to his brother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025
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
I joked that getting one might pigeonhole me as one of those guy who owns one too many kimonos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
It was owned by people from Tochigi-ken prefecture who had done astoundingly well for themselves: the women among them wore silk crepe kimonos and scarlet, cork-soled slippers.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
