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

• apparel
• 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

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

Excitement reverberated throughout the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park as city officials unveiled the host city plaque to a crowd of kids clad in cleats and jerseys who were eager to take part in a youth soccer clinic led by former San Jose Earthquakes player Shea Salinas. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 12 June 2025

In the footsteps of those dancing orphans roamed my students, burnished by tanning beds and clad in tiny shorts. —Hazlitt, 11 June 2025

In the painting, two women sit on a sofa, one naked, the other clothed. —Megan Hunter june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025

National Guard troops were pouring into Los Angeles on Sunday after a series of protests opposing President Donald Trump's immigration policies escalated into clashes between demonstrators and police officers clad in riot gear. —John Bacon, USA Today, 9 June 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