apparel

1 of 2

noun

ap·​par·​el ə-ˈper-əl How to pronounce apparel (audio)
-ˈpa-rəl
1
: personal attire : clothing of a particular kind
dressed in fine apparel
used chiefly in U.S. English to refer to clothing that is being sold in stores
a new line of women's apparel
athletic apparel
2
: the equipment (such as sails and rigging) of a ship
3
: something that clothes or adorns
the bright apparel of spring

apparel

2 of 2

verb

appareled or apparelled; appareling or apparelling

transitive verb

1
: to put clothes on : dress
was formally appareled [=was wearing formal clothes]
2
: adorn, embellish
accused of appareling the truth

Examples of apparel in a Sentence

Noun a sale on summer apparel for women Verb a designer who regularly apparels several of the presenters at the Oscar ceremonies
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Pistons’ Saeed says the new Dilla project, along with last year’s Motown apparel line and upcoming plans, tap into a distinctly Detroit vision. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 Along with criticism from fans, the apparel prompted shade from Johnson, who costarred in the series as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger. Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The apparel retailer soared on a 21% increase in 2023 sales of $1.45 billion—up from $1.2 billion the year before—but tepid sales growth predictions for 2024 have halted its skyrocketing stock. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 The suit is also seeking to permanently bar Cuellar and Oh La La from selling and advertising apparel in Arizona. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Earlier this year, Brady merged his wellness company TB12 and his apparel venture Brady Brand with sportswear company NoBull. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 There is also traditional apparel and other Lunar New Year decorations available for purchase and in the evening there is street food for sale during a 6 to 10 p.m. night market. Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 It is typically expressed as the annual change in prices for everyday goods and services such as food, furniture, apparel, transportation and toys. Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Leading exports include apparel, macadamia nuts, coffee, tea and titanium ores. Harry G. Broadman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Reliance Retail has about 12,000 stores across India and sells everything from smartphones to groceries to apparel through various eponymous brands, including Reliance Fresh, Reliance Digital and Reliance Trends. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 The rapper has partnered with an unusually diverse array of brands to churn out everything from food to apparel to toys and more. Kim Bhasin, Bloomberg.com, 8 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apparel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English apparaile, apparell "furnishings, equipment, dress," borrowed from Anglo-French apparail, noun derivative of apparailler "to prepare, equip, dress" — more at apparel entry 2

Verb

Middle English apparailen, apareilen "to prepare, equip, dress," borrowed from Anglo-French apparailler, apareiller, going back to Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, probably verbal derivative of *appariculum, re-formation (with Latin -culum, suffix of instrument) of Latin apparātus "act of preparing, equipment, apparatus"

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of apparel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near apparel

Cite this Entry

“Apparel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apparel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

apparel

noun
ap·​par·​el
ə-ˈpar-əl
: things that are worn : clothing

More from Merriam-Webster on apparel

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