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

Mesh ballet flats bring an effortless, fashion-forward feel to your wardrobe, while strappy sandals are an easy pick for beach vacations and warm-weather weekends. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026

Trend forecasting platform, WGSN, named it color of the year, and after seeing Matthieu Blazy’s use of the blue-green hue in his Chanel shows, everyone is incorporating a touch of teal into their wardrobes this summer. — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 16 July 2026

Of course, the influence Bieber has on our wardrobes has been burgeoning for quite some time. — Sophie Donovan, Glamour, 16 July 2026

Consider it the easiest way to give your summer wardrobe a fresh point of view—no new clothes required. — Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 16 July 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)