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

The rocker's son Jack, along with his four granddaughters — Pearl, Andy, Minnie and Maple — introduced the performance, with all five clad in Ozzy t-shirts. —Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

The counterprotesters stationed themselves on the first floor in the center of the City Hall rotunda while the police union marched in circles above them around the second-floor atrium outside the mayor's office, clad in black MPA T-shirts. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025

For starters, hundreds of fans clad in Chiefs gear and bearing signs greeted them with various degrees of giddiness as the team passed through customs late Wednesday night. —Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025

The 44-year-old singer appeared on the stream, fully clothed and wearing a fedora, before stripping down to a Speedo. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 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