pleat
Americannoun
-
pleats
plural
verb (used with object)
-
pleats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pleated,
past participle, past
-
pleating
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pleatsimple
-
pleatssimple
-
have pleatedperfect
-
has pleatedperfect
-
am pleatingprogressive
-
are pleatingprogressive
-
is pleatingprogressive
-
have been pleatingperfect progressive
-
has been pleatingperfect progressive
Past
-
pleatedsimple
-
had pleatedperfect
-
was pleatingprogressive
-
were pleatingprogressive
-
had been pleatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pleat
1325–75; Middle English; variant of plait
Explanation
A pleat is a creased fold in fabric. Your long wool coat might have a single pleat in back, down toward the hem. Some pleats are creased sharply, or even stitched firmly in place, while others are looser. The pleats in a little girl's frilly dress or in a skirt that has pleats all the way around might be called "accordion pleats," while a kilt usually has one "box pleat" in the back, with simple "knife pleats" on either side. Pleat is also a verb, meaning "to make or sew a pleat."
Vocabulary lists containing pleat
The House on Mango Street
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Save Me a Seat
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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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.
See Examples For:
In addition to changing the lighting and painting the walls, Miranda-Martin prioritized the window treatments, with pinch pleat curtains from Ikea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The R groups are attached to the carbons and extend above and below the folds of the pleat.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
We also did a lot of trompe l’oeil, like the skirt that looks pleated but is just a flat piece of fabric that’s printed with the grooves and the impressions of a pleat.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2022
And if I’m ever desperate for a sharp pleat, well, there’s always the dry cleaner for that.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2021
I make a pleat in the front of the skirt and roll the waistband over to hold it.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Every meticulous detail — from Anne’s tailored pleats to how each woman eats an apple — is beguiling.
From Salon ● May 2, 2025
Elphaba’s is made of crooked tiers of micro pleats that gather under the brim to resemble mushroom gills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
One of them was very demure and mindful - think soft pastels, pussy bow blouses and pleats - as demonstrated by Chanel and Balenciaga.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024
Her bodice was fitted with skinny straps paired with a skirt of gentle pleats that fell to a train.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
Now the pleats had come out and the hem dragged loose around her sharp, jutting knees.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Osaka arrived on Court Suzanne Lenglen with a black corset and cascading pleated skirt that swept dramatically over the red clay.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
The final collection for Wilson is pleated, fluffy, lacy and — with its neat A-line cuts and sophisticated collars — unmistakably tennis.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
A new Alice + Olivia spring collection features long pleated skirts and silk bomber jackets with an ethereal tarot-card print that was made with the help of Leonardo AI and Adobe Firefly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
It was complemented by a sleeveless turquoise dress over pleated white trousers.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
She settled on two pleated skirts for me but hadn’t put back the jumper Lucy had shoved in her hands.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
It will have a modern bohemian—or “boho”—aesthetic, and items are mostly made of natural fabrics like cotton and include more embroidery and pleating details, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Her designs are made using traditional techniques such as pleating and draping and she sources tartan from local fabric mills honouring the "craftsmanship of traditional kiltmaking".
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Actress and musician Teyana Taylor scored one of the Gala’s best looks early in the night, with a dandified look that took pleating and accessories to the next level.
From Salon ● May 6, 2025
The pleating proved to be enormously complex, in part because there aren’t many places in the United States that specialize in that technique anymore, which requires custom molds.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
Now I drift over to the counter displaying boring shirtwaists: rows and rows of white blouses with every imaginable variation of button or no button, lace or pleating.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
