plaid

American  

[plad] / plæd /

noun

• plaids
  plural

1. 

   any fabric woven of differently colored yarns in a crossbarred pattern.

2. a pattern of this kind.

3. a long, rectangular piece of cloth, usually with such a pattern and worn across the left shoulder by Scottish Highlanders.

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adjective

1. having the pattern of a plaid.

plaid British  

/ plæd, pleɪd /

noun

1. a long piece of cloth of a tartan pattern, worn over the shoulder as part of Highland costume

2. 1. a crisscross weave or cloth

   2. ( as modifier )

      a plaid scarf

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plaids
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plaid

1505–15; < Scots Gaelic plaide blanket, plaid plaid ( def. 3 )

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Explanation

Plaid describes the crisscross pattern found on a Scottish kilt or a punk rocker’s pants. It can be a kind of cloth woven with the design, or a name for the design itself. Fashion-wise, it’s a bold but versatile pattern. Plaid is traditionally made from wool or flannel with a multi-colored tartan design — in other words, a pattern of vertical and horizontal bands of color. These days, every kind of clothing is available in plaid, from socks to skirts to scarves. In English-speaking countries other than the US, plaid is more likely to be called tartan, in fact. In Scotland, a plaid is actually a traditional blanket-like garment, and in Gaelic, plaide means "blanket."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plaid plaids

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

For many, private school evokes images of elite academies, manicured campuses and plaid Catholic-school uniforms.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Floating into her new school on a bubble of positivity that will stubbornly refuse to burst, Elle is a spot of color in a sea of black and plaid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

The store’s front facade was wrapped in a giant plaid scarf made of 126,000 twinkling Christmas lights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

All the girls are wearing the exact same plaid skirt, white blouse, and navy-blue blazer with a fancy crest.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Newsboy caps, button-down vests and a predominance of subtle plaids recalled "Peaky Blinders", while pocket watch chains consolidated the 1920s feel.

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

There are also many things it isn’t: no bright green garlands, no mixing of plaids in the same room, and no gift bags under the tree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

Ally and Jay’s rom-com caricature is the cleverest subplot in the movie — the pair are heightened Hallmark Channel ingenues who like fiddly coffee orders, coordinated plaids and the same shade of taupe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2025

Come for the messy, backstabbing celebrities, but stay for Alan Cumming's show-stopping plaids.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025

They wear stretch pants and panuelos, match polka dots with stripes, plaids with flower prints.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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