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

At the time, Kardashian shared images on Instagram of herself sporting the blonde locks, yellow plaid skirt and blazer and white knee-high socks worn by Alicia Silverstone's character, Cher, in the iconic 1995 movie. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025

Instead of a simple khaki trench, try a fall pattern like this double-breasted plaid coat from Madewell. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025

Sur la Table’s rainbow napkins feature a playful madras-style plaid reminiscent of summer grill-outs and beachside lunches. —Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025

They’re made of porcelain and feature a bold red plaid pattern with yellow, white, green, and navy stripes that stand out against the crisp white interior. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 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