plain clothes

American

Or plainclothes

plural noun

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

plain clothes British

plural noun

1. ordinary clothes, as distinguished from uniform, as worn by a police detective on duty
2. ( 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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of plain clothes

First recorded in 1815–25

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.

They shouldn’t wear plain clothes but uniforms that identify their agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

An M23 official confirmed to AFP Thursday that "police and soldiers in plain clothes" were still in Uvira as well as "our intelligence services".

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

Her bill requires law enforcement officers in plain clothes to display their agency, as well as either a badge number or name, with some exemptions.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

Cops in plain clothes are easy to spot, because they still walk like cops and talk like cops, no matter how much they try not to.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023