robe
Americannoun
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a long, loose or flowing gown or outer garment worn by men or women as ceremonial dress, an official vestment, or garb of office.
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any long, loose garment, especially one for wear while lounging or preparing to dress, as a bathrobe or dressing gown.
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a woman's gown or dress, especially of a more elaborate kind.
a robe for the evening.
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robes, apparel in general; dress; costume.
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a piece of fur, cloth, knitted work, etc., used as a blanket, covering, or wrap.
a buffalo robe; a lap robe.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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any loose flowing garment, esp the official vestment of a peer, judge, or academic
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a dressing gown or bathrobe
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informal a wardrobe
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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robesimple
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robessimple
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have robedperfect
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has robedperfect
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am robingprogressive
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are robingprogressive
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is robingprogressive
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have been robingperfect progressive
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has been robingperfect progressive
Past
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robedsimple
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had robedperfect
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was robingprogressive
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were robingprogressive
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had been robingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of robe
1225–75; Middle English < Old French: originally, spoil, booty < Germanic (akin to rob ); compare Old High German roub > German Raub
Explanation
A robe is a loose piece of clothing that you might wear over your pajamas or put on when you get out of the shower. Most robes tie around the waist with a fabric belt. There are dressier types of robes as well, like the ceremonial robes a judge wears in a courtroom or the elegant robes worn by a queen on a formal occasion. You can also use robe a verb, meaning "to dress or clothe," or literally "to put on a robe." Robe shares a Germanic root with rob, most likely from the idea that robbers would "take garments from the enemy as spoils or booty."
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.
There’s so much decorum among judges, this infamous brotherhood of the robe, that keeps them from directly criticizing one another.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Modeled after a monk’s robe and a nun’s habit, Holmes combined Christian inspiration with the miniskirt trend, which some people found fun, while others labeled it offensive.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Draped in an Ipswich Town Football Club robe, he was greeted by a warm reception from the 18,000-strong crowd.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
He listened impassively to the reparations order, dressed in an ochre robe and a traditional white scarf.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
They put him down by the fire and covered him with a robe.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
