clothe

verb

ˈklōt͟h 

clothed or clad ˈklad  ; clothing

transitive verb

1

a

: to cover with or as if with cloth or clothing : dress

b

: to provide with clothes

the cost of feeding and clothing a family

2

: to express or enhance by suitably significant language : couch

treaties clothed in stately phraseology

3

: to endow especially with power or a quality

the nobility in which religion and history can clothe humanity

—D. R. Wallace

Synonyms

• dress
• garment
• apparel
• costume
• gown
• attire
• toilet
• garb

Examples of clothe in a Sentence

the cost of feeding and clothing your children

they liked to clothe the twins in identical outfits just to confuse people

Recent Examples on the Web

Much of the discussion has fixated on an incident that occurred last week in downtown Los Angeles in which a woman named Andrea Guadalupe Velez was detained by agents clad in bulletproof vests with gaiters over their faces. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025

Evans stood next to a small boat, clad in waders and helpless to stop the rising waters. —Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Notable here also is the inception of an era where matinee-ready male band performers achieved double-digit chart-topping success, either clad in t-shirts or three-piece suits. —Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Sometimes clad in her own colorful platform boots, Burts felt at home expressing her personal style in a fashion-forward environment. —Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English clāthian, from clāth

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for clothe

• loathe

Kids Definition

clothe

verb

ˈklōt͟h 

clothed or clad ˈklad  ; clothing

1

a

: to cover with or as if with clothing : dress

b

: to provide with clothes

2

: to express in a certain way

clothe your thoughts clearly