apparel

1 of 2

noun

ap·​par·​el ə-ˈper-əl 

-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

Synonyms of apparel

Noun

• clothing
• clothes
• attire
• garments

Verb

• clothe
• dress
• garment
• attire
• costume
• gown

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

Right now is the best time to snag swimsuits and apparel while the site has plenty of inventory, though. — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 2 July 2026

The deal comes just as the sports apparel retailer is set to debut its first Charlotte-area store this month at Concord Mills mall. — Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026

Verb

Cole Haan is turning its sights to apparel. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 June 2026

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

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

Rhymes for apparel

• nonpareil
• barrel
• carol

Kids Definition

apparel

noun

ap·​par·​el ə-ˈpar-əl 

: things that are worn : clothing