plaid

noun

ˈplad 

1

: a rectangular length of tartan worn over the left shoulder as part of the Scottish national costume

2

a

: a twilled woolen fabric with a tartan pattern

b

: a fabric with a pattern of tartan or an imitation of tartan

3

a

: tartan sense 1

b

: a pattern of unevenly spaced repeated stripes crossing at right angles

plaid adjective

plaided

ˈpla-dəd 

adjective

Examples of plaid in a Sentence

She likes to wear plaids.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pink plaid gingham appears throughout the capsule, including on ballet flats and block heels, while floral motifs and raffia add seasonal texture across mules and sneakers. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 14 May 2025

The past years' trends of intense, high-contrast rugs in checkerboard or paisley have been replaced with simplified plaid patterns and quirky folk designs. —Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2025

Gayle King Gayle King wore a purple plaid peplum gown with Reza jewelry. —Brendan Le, People.com, 6 May 2025

Thomas earned 700 FedEx Cup points, a dapper plaid jacket, and $3.6 million. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Scottish Gaelic plaide

First Known Use

1512, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plaid

• buffalo plaid
• glen plaid

Rhymes for plaid

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Kids Definition

plaid

noun

ˈplad 

1

: a rectangular length of tartan worn over the shoulder as part of the Scottish national costume

2

: a fabric with a tartan pattern

3

a

: tartan sense 1

b

: a pattern of unevenly spaced repeated stripes crossing at right angles

plaid adjective