plain clothes

American  

Or plainclothes

plural noun

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

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plain clothes British  

plural noun

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      a plain-clothes policeman

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Other Word Forms

• plain-clothes
  adjective
• plainclothes
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of plain clothes

First recorded in 1815–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plain clothes

A 13-year-old from Old St Mellons, was arrested, and following a plain clothes patrol, a second boy, 11, from Penylan, was also arrested.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

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

A Fullerton police officer intervened when he saw a man in plain clothes pointing a gun at a female driver on a busy street in Santa Ana.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 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

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