wardrobe

noun

ward·​robe ˈwȯr-ˌdrōb 

plural wardrobes

1

a

: a collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or for one activity)

a summer wardrobe

b

: a collection of stage costumes and accessories

working in the wardrobe department

2

a

chiefly British : a room or closet (see closet entry 1 sense 2) where clothes are kept

b

: clothes press

especially : a tall freestanding cabinet with a rod for hanging clothes

c

: a large trunk in which clothes may be hung upright

3

: the department of a royal or noble household entrusted with the care of wearing apparel, jewels, and personal articles

Did you know?

There is a lot of word history packed into wardrobe. The word was borrowed by Middle-English speakers from a variant of Anglo-French garderobe. A combination of garder and robe, garderobe itself has been borrowed into English as a synonym of wardrobe. If the roots of garderobe look familiar, it is because they are the source of a number of different English words. Garder has given us the verbs guard and ward. And French robe, of course, is the source of the English robe and shares its own origins with the English verbs rob and reave (a synonym of plunder). If this connection seems odd, it might help to know that robe can be traced back to Germanic origins related to the Old High German words roub ("booty" or "looted clothing") and roubōn ("to rob").

Examples of wardrobe in a Sentence

She has a new summer wardrobe.

She went to wardrobe for her fitting.

Recent Examples on the Web

Romanstii Knitted Collared Shirt Coming in at just $37, the Romanstii Knitted Collard Shirt takes distinctive Anthropologie stripes and combines them with the season’s trending polo style to create an elevated, cozy staple every wardrobe needs. —Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026

The exceptionally rare memento offers up a link to the famed Queen of France’s life at Versailles and a connection to the queen’s influential wardrobe and taste, too. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 11 June 2026

Finally, no summer wardrobe is complete without a touch of texture—Alaïa’s raffia thong sandals or Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s PVC pair, to be exact. —Laura Jackson, Vogue, 11 June 2026

Jenner relaunched her brand in April 2026 as a wardrobe-first fashion label, introducing the Born in LA Collection as the first capsule for Khy’s reinvention. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English warderobe, from Anglo-French *warderobe, garderobe, from warder, garder to guard + robe robe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing wardrobe

• capsule wardrobe

Rhymes for wardrobe

• bathrobe
• earlobe
• microbe
• globe
• jobe
• lobe
• probe
• robe
• strobe
• microprobe

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Kids Definition

wardrobe

noun

ward·​robe ˈwȯr-ˌdrōb 

1

: a room, closet, or chest where clothes are kept

2

: a collection of clothes (as of one person or for one activity)