clothe

verb \ ˈklōt͟h \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of clothe

clothed or clad play \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

See clothe defined for English-language learners

See clothe defined for kids

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 of clothe from the Web

Temperatures had dipped 10 degrees below average Monday morning, but the chill wasn’t enough to keep indoors or even clothed a man who jogged naked in downtown Baltimore.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Naked jogger turns heads Monday in downtown Baltimore," 9 Apr. 2018
The clean lines are clad in corrugated metal and interrupted only by three long windows and two skylights.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Prefab tiny cabin is built for retreating to nature," 5 Apr. 2018
The 32-story tower is clad from top to bottom in handsome buff brick (hand-laid on the lower floors).

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "These two new Philadelphia apartment buildings are civilizing the Vine Street Expressway," 4 Apr. 2018
But pictures of Black Panther leaders clad in leather jackets while toting guns did.

— john blake, CNN, "The question that haunts Martin Luther King's last day in Memphis," 3 Apr. 2018
Like other cast members, he was clad in contemporary garb, which in Harod's case was a shiny, three-piece orange suit.

— lorraine ali, latimes.com, "NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live' shouldn't have worked. Here's why it did," 2 Apr. 2018
Each follower of the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was clad from head to toe in shades of red, orange and violet.

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "The Latest Fashion Trend? Dressing Like You’re in a Cult," 2 Apr. 2018
Others were clad in T-shirts denouncing hate or carrying signs proclaiming their support.

— bree burkitt, azcentral, "'Love trumps hate': Interfaith community gathers in support of Tempe mosque," 17 Mar. 2018
With the game being played in the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, the crowd was almost completely clad in UW colors.

— jeff potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "10 memorable moments from UW's 19-year NCAA Tournament run," 28 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of clothe

Middle English, from Old English clāthian, from clāth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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clothe Synonyms

CLOTHE Defined for English Language Learners

clothe

verb

Definition of clothe for English Language Learners

: to provide (someone) with clothes
: to dress (someone) in a particular type of clothing

CLOTHE Defined for Kids

clothe

verb \ ˈklōt͟h \

Definition of clothe for Students

clothed or clad \ˈklad\; clothing

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

2 : to provide with clothes

Learn More about clothe

See words that rhyme with clothe Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for clothe Spanish Central: Translation of clothe Nglish: Translation of clothe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of clothe for Arabic speakers

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clothe

Definition of clothe

Examples of clothe in a Sentence

Recent Examples of clothe from the Web

Origin and Etymology of clothe

clothe Synonyms

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CLOTHE Defined for English Language Learners

clothe

Definition of clothe for English Language Learners

CLOTHE Defined for Kids

clothe

Definition of clothe for Students

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