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
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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.
On Thursday, the North Korean leader, clad in his signature black leather jacket, inspected his country’s first nuclear-capable warship as it navigated off North Korea’s west coast.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Hollywood was clad in black and glittering sequins on Monday to host the Los Angeles premiere of Michael Jackson's biopic, drawing fans of the King of Pop to the iconic California boulevard.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
It showed the 79-year-old clad in a white robe and papal-red cape, a divine light emanating from the palm of one hand while the other hand was placed on an ailing man.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
She was clad in a sweatshirt and bleary from the early hour.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
They walked arm in arm in matching gold: his on his head, hers on her neck, and soldiers marched behind them, clad in gold surcoats commissioned for the occasion.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
