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

There are 45 rooms beside and above the spa, all clad in Byzantine colours of muted gold and deep red. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026

Those were some of the chants from a few dozen protesters, some clad in pink balaclavas, some with bared breasts, floral crowns, and messages scrawled across their bodies, outside the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale on Wednesday morning. —Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026

Strengthening the Berry Amendment, for one, would create more demand for domestic textiles to clothe military service members, and consequently, American producers could scale their operations. —Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 4 May 2026

The body was also clad in clothing similar to what Bristy was wearing when she was last seen. —Tony Marrero, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 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