clad
verb
a simple past tense and past participle of clothe.
clad
1 American
[klad]
/ klæd /
verb
adjective
-
dressed.
ill-clad vagrants.
-
covered.
vine-clad cottages.
clad
2
American
[klad]
/ klæd /
verb (used with object)
clad,
cladding
clad-
3
American
clad
1
British
/ klæd /
verb
clad
2
British
/ klæd /
verb
Etymology
Origin of clad1
before 950; Middle English cladd ( e ), Old English clāthod ( e ) clothed. See clothe, -ed 2
Origin of clad2
First recorded in 1935–40; special use of clad 1
Explanation
Clad means "dressed or covered." Most kids go to school clad in jeans and t-shirts, but students in the Shakespeare club might show up clad in velvet gowns or leather breeches. As a verb, clad is the past tense and past particle of “clothe,” as in “the leprechaun clad himself in green.” It’s also an adjective that describes being covered or clothed, so a building can be clad in brick, while a person can be clad in head-to-toe sequins. It’s an old-fashioned word, kind of like “shod,” which means “wearing footwear.”
Vocabulary lists containing clad
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Clean Getaway
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Twelfth Night
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
On a rainy Thursday in Broken Bow, buyers clad in cowboy hats, plaid shirts and denim gathered for the regular indoor cattle auction.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
After a rousing performance by a white-robe clad vocal collective co-founded by Pharrell Williams, Lucas’ wife Mellody Hobson noted that, “George kept saying, ‘Will this person come?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Had they been plastered, clad in ceramic, or built in raw concrete, they would have lent tangible weight and heft to the vaults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Chloe, a Labrador mix, is one of 15 dogs being coached by the startup, clad in customised data-gathering helmets.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Her digital fighter, clad in white karate gear, did a victory dance on the screen while Door’s was sprawled out on the ground.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
The exterior metal cladding of the addition features a luminescent pink paint coating called Pink Kandi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The blaze came just a day after residents got approval to have all the flammable cladding on the building removed.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The developer of Parcell's flat, Barratt Redrow, says despite the new rules it still intends to remove all the flammable cladding on her tower block as soon as possible.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The new rules, known as PAS9980, grade the fire risk posed by a tower block's cladding system into four categories: high, medium, tolerable, and low.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The uranium pellets that form nuclear fuel rods are held together by a thin coating, called cladding, of the metal zirconium.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
