plaid

noun \ ˈplad \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of plaid

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 1

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

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plaid

adjective

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plaided

play \ˈpla-dəd\ adjective

See plaid defined for English-language learners

See plaid defined for kids

Examples of plaid in a Sentence

She likes to wear plaids.

Recent Examples of plaid from the Web

Burberry churned out its own plaid version, also with a plastic brim, for Fall 2018, for a very late ’90s throwback.

— madeline fass, Vogue, "Is the Visor Making a Comeback? Kim Kardashian West and Dior Think So," 11 Apr. 2018
Toth was dressed in a red and blue plaid button-down with jeans and brown shoes.

— mike miller, PEOPLE.com, "Reese Witherspoon Shares Cute Anniversary Post for Her 'Wonderful Husband' Jim Toth," 26 Mar. 2018
That uniform is to the franchise what Cher Horowitz’s little plaid set was to Clueless.

— andrea cheng, Glamour, "The Comeback of 'The Matrix' in Fashion Isn’t All That Random," 8 Mar. 2018
Flannel, a cloyingly sweet love song that goes all-in on its plaid-shirt metaphor, is a few Lonely Island verses away from being a Saturday Night Live digital short circa 2010.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Review: Justin Timberlake's 'Man of the Woods' can't pull off its Americana-pop fusion," 2 Feb. 2018
Red plaid emerged as the prevailing print in the Western-themed collection.

— colleen barry, The Seattle Times, "For Prada, black nylon is a safe haven in a storm," 14 Jan. 2018
Trading his square three-piece suit for an outfit of denim and plaid, Mr. Burden began devising covers for artists including the Mamas & the Papas, Jackson Browne, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

— harrison smith, Washington Post, "Gary Burden, who designed album covers for California rockers, dies at 84," 19 Mar. 2018
In this case, the stylists creatively used hair dye to transform someone's blonde hair into a pink-and-blue plaid pattern.

— devon abelman, Allure, "This Hairstylist's Plaid Hair-Color Technique Is Seriously Impressive," 14 Mar. 2018
With its iconic plaid accents and classic double-breasted silhouette, this wardrobe staple currently retails between $795 and $7,000 depending on length, material and style.

— alisa wolfson, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Fashion Items You Can Actually Make Money On," 12 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of plaid

Scottish Gaelic plaide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1512

See Words from the same year

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

PLAID Defined for English Language Learners

plaid

noun

Definition of plaid for English Language Learners

: a pattern on cloth of stripes with different widths that cross each other to form squares
plaids : clothes with plaid patterns
: a woolen cloth with a plaid pattern that is worn over the shoulder as part of the Scottish national costume