wardrobe
Americannoun
-
a stock of clothes or costumes, as of a person or of a theatrical company.
-
a piece of furniture for holding clothes, now usually a tall, upright case fitted with hooks, shelves, etc.
-
a room or place in which to keep clothes or costumes.
-
the department of a royal or other great household charged with the care of wearing apparel.
-
a department in a motion-picture or television studio in charge of supplying and maintaining costumes.
Report to wardrobe right after lunch.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a tall closet or cupboard, with a rail or hooks on which to hang clothes
-
the total collection of articles of clothing belonging to one person
-
the collection of costumes belonging to a theatre or theatrical company
Etymology
Origin of wardrobe
1250–1300; Middle English warderobe < Anglo-French. See ward (v.), robe
Explanation
All of the clothes in your closet make up your wardrobe. If you're tired of your wardrobe, it just might be time to go shopping. From the words warder, meaning “to protect”, and robe, meaning a “piece of clothing,” wardrobe originally meant an entire room where a person's clothing was stored. Nowadays, most people don’t have an entire room for their clothes, so the word wardrobe has downsized to just a large cabinet, or the clothing itself. A wardrobe can also be the costumes (or the costume department) of a theater company or movie.
Vocabulary lists containing wardrobe
The Ottoman Empire: Furniture Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Academy Awards, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
A Perry Ellis item could complement an existing wardrobe rather than requiring the customer to rebuild their entire closet to fit a single expensive statement piece.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
My cringe moment — and Vicki’s too, we would laugh about it — was the wardrobe.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
It is currently hung up in her wardrobe.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: G.H.Bass Weejuns have been around since the 1800s, and they’re still a wardrobe staple.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
The parlor was a bit bigger than a big wardrobe and stuffed with museumy stuff.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
