- 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.
The plainclothes agents told her not to post like that again, then left, the woman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Sunday after plainclothes federal agents saw a suspicious man taking photographs and appearing to monitor security-planning activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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 criminal defense attorney said agents in plainclothes pulled his client out of a federal courtroom Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
The doors shut right in front of him, and Sergio was alone on the platform with what, he then realized, must be a plainclothes officer.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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.
