plain clothes

or plainclothes

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plural noun

clothing other than one's uniform, especially civilian clothes worn on duty by a police officer.

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Origin of plain clothes

First recorded in 1815–25

OTHER WORDS FROM plain clothes

plain-clothes, plainclothes, adjective

Words nearby plain clothes

plain, plain as day, plain bearing, plainchant, plain chocolate, plain clothes, plainclothesman, plain dealing, Plainfield, plain film, plain flour

How to use plain clothes in a sentence

Yet, much like the fate that fell the first season, ratings just plain weren't good.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards|Kevin Fallon|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thanks to the Atlanta case, they can now see another in plain sight.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat|Clive Irving|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Growing up as a teen in the 1960s, she had yearned to wear the same clothes her girlfriends wore.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her daughter, Elaina, 24, a trained costume designer and makeup artist, helps out by sewing clothes.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

BEIRUT—It is December, but Sabrine Omar is still wearing her summer clothes.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what a magnificent plain is this we are entering upon: it is of immense extent.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
At this same time they seized in Nangasaqui a servant of the father provincial, Matheo Couros, who was washing his clothes.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
There are many more good dwellings on this plain than in the rural portion of Lower Italy.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
The word of the law shall be fulfilled without a lie, and wisdom shall be made plain in the mouth of the faithful.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for plain clothes

plain clothes

pl n

ordinary clothes, as distinguished from uniform, as worn by a police detective on duty
(as modifier)a plain-clothes policeman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012