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

There are also deals on women's pajama gift sets in cute holiday prints, like red plaid or holiday dogs, as well as kids' ski apparel for an upcoming winter vacation. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

This gift set, designed in collaboration with Brooklyn illustrator Phthalo Ruth, comes in watercolor plaid boxes that are almost too pretty to open. — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Both wear coarse, sheep’s wool djellabas over trekking pants and plaid shirts and have turban-like scarves, known as shesh, piled high on their heads. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026

Quirky touches include plaid upholstery, fabric door-pull straps and a removable storage basket 3D-printed from bio-plastic and wood. — New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026

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