apparel

play

noun ap·par·el \ ə-ˈper-əl , -ˈpa-rəl \

Definition of apparel

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

See apparel defined for English-language learners

Examples of apparel in a Sentence

a designer who regularly apparels several of the presenters at the Oscar ceremonies

Recent Examples of apparel from the Web

Among individual schools, Louisville extended its apparel deal with Adidas for another decade in a deal worth $160 million.

— joedy mccreary, The Seattle Times, "ACC hopes success of Jackson, Clemson provides boost in ’17," 30 Aug. 2017
Celebrate Monday’s eclipse with these local apparel, food and drink offerings.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "You can eat or wear these KC solar eclipse specials," 18 Aug. 2017
The commercial space open to the public includes a Starbucks, restaurant , café, bar, ice cream store, and Trump apparel store.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Everything You Should Know About Trump Tower," 16 Aug. 2017
Instead of its signature navy, for instance, the brand opted for a sleek black to pair with the red and white details on its sneakers and apparel.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "Fila and Barneys Just Gave Some '90s Classics a Serious Upgrade," 15 Aug. 2017
Guests to the mall at 95th Street and Ridgeland Avenue will find a new children's apparel retailer, new dessert and treat vendors, and a virtual reality ride added to the mall's shopping, dining and entertainment options.

— bob bong, Daily Southtown, "Durbins restaurant to call it quits in Summit," 15 Aug. 2017
The incident brings to mind another sports apparel gaffe in 2015.

— veronika quispe, miamiherald, "Patriots hat found in Dolphins store website. Anyone trolling the Fins?," 8 Aug. 2017
The singer collaborated with Puma on a new line of apparel and sneakers, set to hit stores this fall.

— cara zimmerman, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Weeknd Launches His Own Collection for Puma," 7 Aug. 2017
There was such a jet in the vicinity—a Dassault Falcon 20 business jet owned by the VF Corp. of Greensboro, N.C., an apparel company that markets Wrangler jeans and other brands.

— Popular Mechanics, "Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report - Flight 93," 1 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apparel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of apparel

see ²apparel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

apparel Synonyms

Synonyms

clothing, attire, clobber [British slang], clothes, costumery, dress, duds, garments, gear, habiliment (s), habit [archaic], rags, raiment, rig, rigging, threads, toggery, togs, vestiary, vestments, vesture, wear, wearables, weeds

Related Words

garderobe, wardrobe; array, bravery, caparison, finery, gaiety (also gayety), glad rags, pretties, regalia, trim; foofaraw, frippery, gaudery, tawdry, trumpery [archaic]; tatters; costume, ensemble, frock, garb, getup, guise, livery, outfit; civvies (also civies), mufti; couture, prêt-à-porter (or pret-a-porter), ready-to-wear, tailoring; activewear, loungewear, outerwear, playwear, sportswear; nightclothes, sleepwear, smallclothes, underclothes, underwear; haberdashery, menswear

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

apparel

play

verb ap·par·el \ ə-ˈper-əl , -ˈpa-rəl \

Definition of apparel

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

See apparel defined for kids

Examples of apparel in a Sentence

a sale on summer apparel for women

Origin and Etymology of apparel

Middle English appareillen, from Anglo-French apparailler to prepare, from Vulgar Latin *appariculare, from Latin apparare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

apparel Synonyms

Synonyms

clothe, array, attire, bedeck, caparison, costume, deck (out), do up, dress, dress up, enrobe, garb, garment, get up, gown, habit, invest, rig (out), robe, suit, tog (up or out), toilet, vesture

Antonyms

disarray, disrobe, strip, unclothe, undress, untruss [archaic]

Related Words

cloak, frock, jacket, mantle, vest; drape, enswathe, hap [dialect], huddle, swaddle, swathe, wrap; accoutre (or accouter), bedight [archaic], equip, furnish, habilitate, outfit, tailor, uniform; dress down, underdress

Near Antonyms

denude, divest, uncover, undrape, unveil

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

APPAREL Defined for English Language Learners

apparel

play

noun

Definition of apparel for English Language Learners

: clothing of a particular kind

APPAREL Defined for Kids

apparel

play

noun ap·par·el \ ə-ˈper-əl \

Definition of apparel for Students

:things that are worn :clothing summer apparel

Learn More about apparel

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for apparel Spanish Central: Translation of apparel Nglish: Translation of apparel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of apparel for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about apparel

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up apparel? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

apparel

Definition of apparel

People Are Reading

Examples of apparel in a Sentence

Recent Examples of apparel from the Web

Origin and Etymology of apparel

apparel Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Clothing Terms

apparel

Definition of apparel

Examples of apparel in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of apparel

apparel Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Clothing Terms

APPAREL Defined for English Language Learners

apparel

Definition of apparel for English Language Learners

APPAREL Defined for Kids

apparel

Definition of apparel for Students

Learn More about apparel

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066