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.
To convert the porch into a sunroom and sports-watching lounge, they hired Los Angeles interior designer Parrish Cameron Robe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Take the Yuanyang Martini, an espresso martini with black sesame and black tea or Red Robe, featuring cognac, bourbon, oolong tea and white miso.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2025
The portrait of the King shows him wearing the Robe of State alongside his naval uniform with medals, and the Queen is portrayed wearing her coronation dress.
From BBC • May 6, 2025
The trail itself is notably thick with underbrush and can be junglelike in some spots, especially once you descend into Robe Canyon itself.
From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024
“And now they want me to know it all, and do the work—the repairing of the Singers Robe? You know about that?”
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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.
