plainclothes
Americanadjective
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.
As plainclothes detective Tony Baretta, he swaggered through four gritty seasons in muscle shirts and a newsboy cap, with a snappy street patter and a pet cockatoo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
A large cordon is in place and a forensics officer, fire investigation dogs and several plainclothes officers were working at the scene.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
A fourth, an Israeli El Al flight, was saved by plainclothes Israeli air marshals who had been placed on board as a new security measure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
"For example, the faces, voices, and names of undercover officers conducting operations in plainclothes are not obscured," the complaint alleges.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
I was less convinced that she didn’t have a car of plainclothes officers tailing Nicole.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
