- a variation of plain clothes.
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.
From early childhood he was taught to identify and steer clear of FBI, CIA and plainclothes policemen.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 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
Within minutes, several agents — in plainclothes and some wearing vests that read “Police” — surrounded him.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
Sometimes plainclothes black policemen from the Special Branch did the rounding up in flashy cars.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
