garb

noun

\ˈgärb

Definition of garb

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 obsolete : fashion, manner

2a : a style of apparel

b : outward form : appearance

garb

verb

garbed; garbing; garbs

Definition of garb (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cover with or as if with clothing

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about garb

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Examples of garb in a Sentence

Noun

decided to clothe himself in traditional Scottish garb for the celebration a fable about personal redemption presented in the garb of a conventional horror story

Verb

firefighters garbed in protective gear

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Other draws: Arts and crafts fair, antique tractor show, live music and entertainment (including yodelers and polka bands), a Sunday parade led by brown Swiss cows adorned with bells, escorted by folks in traditional Swiss garb. — Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "6 food festivals that offer a glimpse of Wisconsin specialties and local culture," 6 June 2018 Murray is out front dressed in crisp, turn-of-the-19th-century period garb. — Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Bill Murray talks about the Astros, filming in Houston, and his new musical career," 6 Apr. 2018 Interpreters dressed in period garb will demonstrate 19th-century pork processing activities, from rendering lard from fat to sausage- and soap-making. — Courtney Devores, charlotteobserver, "Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Jan. 12-18 | Charlotte Observer," 11 Jan. 2018 As T-Mobile Arena emptied of all but those wearing red garb and beaming smiles, Ovechkin even paused a television chat to glance over his shoulder and make sure the trophy was not far away. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Finally a champion, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin won't let the Stanley Cup out of his sight," 8 June 2018 Among the more complicated schemes the Russians deployed, according to Mueller’s indictment, was hiring an American to dress as Clinton in prison garb and stand on display at a campaign event in a makeshift cage. — Philip Bump, Washington Post, "A new undercover video raises significant questions about Cambridge Analytica’s elections work," 20 Mar. 2018 Fan garb rarely strays far from standard-issue T-shirts and caps, emblazoned with team logos. — Janelle Nanos, BostonGlobe.com, "The crowd goes wild: After years of traditional fan gear, MLB is letting its freak flag fly," 29 June 2018 That inspired her to launch a line of Islamic garb that will be available at a one-day-only pop-up shop in Philly on Mother’s Day. — Ray Boyd, Philly.com, "Open carry debate in Philly burbs, coming to the rescue for unlucky couples, Southwest pilots recall 'terror' in the sky | Morning Newsletter," 11 May 2018 Every time a player scores a touchdown, a group clad in Revolutionary War garb fires off blanks into the air with their muskets filled with black gunpowder. — Peter Dawson, star-telegram, "Texas Motor Speedway's tradition of winners celebrating with guns returns, and is here to stay | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Other images show families huddled together garbed in the over-sized sweatshirts, along with kids and teens posing in an array of crop tops, hoodies and biker shorts. — Morgan M. Evans, Fox News, "Kanye West launches Yeezy campaign with nude Kim Kardashian lookalike models," 13 June 2018 The Duchess of Cambridge and her mother-in-law, Camilla, both garbed in pale blue outfits, rode in carriages behind Markle and Harry. — Morgan M. Evans, Fox News, "Meghan Markle attends annual Trooping the Colour parade, makes Buckingham Palace balcony debut," 9 June 2018 Maria Pinhiero’s family could contend for the title as one of the most patriotically garbed at Orlando’s Fourth of July celebration at Lake Eola. — Kyle Arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Fireworks dazzle as Orlando comes together to celebrate Independence Day," 4 July 2018 The remaining members of the company (which numbers 10) are garbed in Cassidy Haley’s shiny black sci-fi outfits; most have character names, though what differentiates them is difficult to discern. — Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Robert Dekkers’ ‘Red Shoes’ not quite the right fit at Diablo Ballet," 5 May 2018 Buy Photo Hundreds of tie-dye garbed, jam band-loving fans will be lining up at the Ardmore Music Hall this weekend for two special Father’s Day, matinee-edition Grateful Dead tribute shows. — Jonathan Takiff, Philly.com, "Hopped up on fruit snacks, tiny fans rock out to Grateful Dead, Beatles at concerts for kids," 13 June 2018 Idris Elba and his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre walked into the chapel hand in hand with garbed in black outfits. — Fox News, "Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wedding full of A-listers from George Clooney to Oprah to Serena Williams," 19 May 2018 As all the celebrities arrived at the chapel for the ceremony, garbed in their royal best, there was one star in particular who set himself apart from the crowd. — Fox News, "Elton John caught frowning during Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wedding," 19 May 2018 There’s an earthy duet for Dores André and Luke Ingham, a corps garbed like centurions, a fellow (Wei Wang) in chalky white makeup, alternately toting a gold fishing rod and standing on his head and a general air of decadence. — Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Pita’s ‘Bjork Ballet’ a stunning work in S.F. Ballet’s final Unbound program," 27 Apr. 2018

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

History and Etymology for garb

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Italian; Middle French garbe "graceful contour, grace," borrowed from Italian garbo "grace, charm, good manners, form, outline of a ship's hull made from wood pieces," of uncertain origin

Note: If the sense "outline of a ship's hull" is prior to the more abstract senses, the modern Italian word probably continues an earlier etymon represented by (alleged) medieval Genoese dialect garibu in the sense "model of a hull," itself ultimately a loan from Arabic qālib "mold, shoemaker's last" (see caliber); details of attestation are thus far incompletely documented, however. An earlier hypothesis connecting garbo (and the related verb garbare "to be becoming to, please") to Germanic *garwjan- "to prepare, make ready" (presumably via Gothic; see gear entry 1, yare) is questionable on semantic and phonetic grounds.

Verb

derivative of garb entry 1

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