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 dress’s skirt has a kick pleat, and if you glance beneath it, you’ll find five layers of underskirt, three of them meticulously embroidered, just in case the performer lifts her dancing shoe.
From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2021
And if I’m ever desperate for a sharp pleat, well, there’s always the dry cleaner for that.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2021
“We can’t produce them at the incredible rate she can pleat them, but they are delicious!”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2020
I’m glad it’s dusk; I’m nervous about the backs of my thighs, the wrinkling above my knees, the soft fold across my stomach, not fatness exactly but a pleat.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Every meticulous detail — from Anne’s tailored pleats to how each woman eats an apple — is beguiling.
From Salon ● May 2, 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
Abe’s focused approach to pleats and her hybridized design techniques have continued to evolve, maintaining Sacai’s position at the forefront of Japan’s fashion vanguard.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
His pleats, specifically from the Homme Plissé line, are a fixture of my wardrobe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
She was wearing a white dress and a blue cloak; I remember being struck by their pleats and folds.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
On the first day of Haute Couture Week, which featured a star-packed show from Schiaparelli and a galaxy-inspired Iris Van Herpen collection, Anderson sent out a highly wearable selection of heavily textured and pleated outfits.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
In fact a laundry list of laundry terms could apply: folded, pressed, softened, agitated, pleated, creased, puckered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
It was complemented by a sleeveless turquoise dress over pleated white trousers.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
Fabrics are variously folded like origami, appliqued, quilted, embroidered, beaded, gathered, pleated, printed, felted, dyed, etched, lasered and layered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
I used to watch Keav fuss over her school uniform, pressing and repressing her blue pleated skirt and white shirts so they looked as crisp and new as possible.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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
The museum is clad in gray precast concrete panels, slightly angled from the wall in a way that suggests pleating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
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
Instead of regular lantern ribbing, the Japanese house, which is known for its use of techno fabrics, employed elastic pleating to give the bottom of its lightweight dresses structure and bounce.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2021
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.
