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

Etymology

Origin of plaid

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

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

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

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

The red, white and grey plaid shorts have become iconic in tennis circles, and the surviving pairs have found good homes.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Not long after, Gray, in a plaid mini, is also posing at the photographers’ request, switching effortlessly between signature Gen Z stances, chin resting atop a bent hand.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

There was a pop-up shop decorated to look like a cozy British cottage full of holiday gifts, a scarf bar and Bloomingdale’s signature Big Brown plush collectible bear donned a plaid scarf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

He wore a plaid button-down shirt with chino shorts, and I thought about how long it had been since he’d worn clothes that could not be classified as either pajamas or underwear.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Ken Billington’s lighting and Constance Hoffman’s costumes, which featured swirling flared skirts in different candy-colored plaids for the female chorus, added to the effect, as did Ms. Zambello’s direction, which emphasized thrust rather than sweetness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Ramones had songs based on “Saturday Night,” and they dressed in the tartan plaids of Queens, which is the black leather jackets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

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

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

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025

Gawaine was stretched face downward on the plaids.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White