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 of clothe

• 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 environmentally friendly three-bedroom includes high ceilings, gray Marmoleum floors, walls and ceilings clad in cross-laminated timber, light walnut cabinets, and floor-to-ceiling windows. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 2 Mar. 2026

Here was this very American audience, all clad in English football jerseys. —Roger Bennett, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026

They are sometimes fully clothed, sometimes less so—bare-breasted and bare-bottomed, coquettishly posed, festooned with kitschy props—unabashedly immodest in every sense of the word. —Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

According to the indictment, a group of people clad in black and wearing masks, some carrying firearms and wearing body armor, shot fireworks toward the center and vandalized vehicles and a guard shed. —ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026

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