pleat

[pleet]

noun

1. a fold of definite, even width made by doubling cloth or the like upon itself and pressing or stitching it in place.

verb (used with object)

1. to fold or arrange in pleats.

pleat

/ pliːt /

noun

1. any of various types of fold formed by doubling back fabric and pressing, stitching, or steaming into place See also box pleat inverted pleat kick pleat knife pleat sunburst pleats

verb

1. (tr) to arrange (material, part of a garment, etc) in pleats

Other Word Forms

• pleater noun
• pleatless adjective
• unpleated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pleat¹

1325–75; Middle English; variant of plait

Word History and Origins

Origin of pleat¹

C16: variant of _plait

Example Sentences

The night before my first day of work at NACA, I touched up my navy-blue tweed pleated skirt and jacket and checked my stockings to make sure they didn’t have any runs.

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If a pleated edge feels above your pastry pay grade, simply fold the edge of the dough over the filling.

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The museum is clad in gray precast concrete panels, slightly angled from the wall in a way that suggests pleating.

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She wears a vibrant pink getup — a vintage top and Issey Miyake pants — complete with small pleats and optimal for the unavoidable August heat wave.

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“I can wear clothing that I like to wear,” said Bruner, 63, who recently donned a black T-shirt with wide-leg pleated jeans at the club.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal