clothes

wearing apparel; garments: Choose the proper clothes for the occasion.

Not to be confused with:

close – to shut; bring to an end: It’s time to close the meeting.

clothes

(klōz, klōthz)

pl.n.

1. Coverings worn on the body; garments, such as shirts, pants, dresses, and coats.

2. Coverings, such as sheets and blankets, that are ordinarily used on a bed; bedclothes.

[Middle English, from Old English clāthas, pl. of clāth, cloth.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

clothes

(kləʊðz)

pl n

1. (Clothing & Fashion)

a. articles of dress

b. (as modifier): clothes brush. vestiary

[Old English clāthas, plural of clāth cloth]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

clothes

(kloʊz, kloʊðz)

n.pl.

1. garments for the body; articles of dress; wearing apparel.

[before 900; Middle English; Old English clāthas, pl. of clāth cloth]

clothes

– clothing – cloth

1. 'clothes'

Clothes /kləʊðz/ are things you wear, such as shirts, trousers, dresses, and coats.

I took off all my clothes.

Be Careful!
There is no singular form of clothes. In formal English, you can talk about a garment, a piece of clothing, or an article of clothing, but in ordinary conversation, you usually name the piece of clothing you are talking about.

2. 'clothing'

Clothing /'kləʊðɪŋ/ is the clothes people wear. You often use clothing to talk about particular types of clothes, for example winter clothing or warm clothing. Clothing is an uncountable noun. Don't talk about 'clothings' or 'a clothing'.

Wear protective clothing.

Some locals offered food and clothing to the refugees.

3. 'cloth'

Cloth /klɒθ/ is fabric such as wool or cotton that is used for making such things as clothes.

I cut up strips of cotton cloth.

The women wove cloth for a living.

When cloth is used like this, it is an uncountable noun.

A cloth is a piece of fabric used for cleaning or dusting. The plural form of cloth is cloths, not 'clothes'.

Clean with a soft cloth dipped in warm soapy water.

Don't leave damp cloths in a cupboard.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

clothes

plural noun clothing, wear, dress, gear (informal), habits, get-up (informal), outfit, costume, threads (slang), wardrobe, ensemble, garments, duds (informal), apparel, clobber (Brit. slang), attire, garb, togs (informal), vestments, glad rags (informal), raiment (archaic or poetic), rigout (informal) He was dressed in casual clothes.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

clothes

noun

Articles worn to cover the body:

Informal: dud (used in plural), tog (used in plural).

Slang: thread (used in plural).

Translations

lůžkovinyoblečeníoděvšaty

tøjsengetøj

vaatevaatteet

odjeća

ruharuhák

fötrúmföt

服

옷

oblačila

kläder

เสื้อผ้า

quần áo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

clothes

clothes drier, clothes dryer

clothes horse

n → Wäscheständer m; she’s a real clothes (inf) → sie hat einen Kleiderfimmel (inf)

clothes peg, (US) clothes pin

clothes pole, clothes prop

n → Wäschestütze f

clothes shop

n → Bekleidungsgeschäft nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

clothe

(kləuð) – past tense past participle clothed – verb

1. to provide with clothes. The widow did not have enough money to clothe her children.

2. to put clothes on. She was clothed in silk; She clothed herself in the most expensive materials.

clothes (kləuðz) , ((American) klouz) noun plural

1. things worn as coverings for various parts of the body. She wears beautiful clothes.

2. bedclothes. The child pulled the clothes up tightly.

ˈclothes-peg noun

(American clothespin) a plastic or wooden clip for fastening clothes to a clothesline.

ˈclothing noun

clothes. warm clothing.

there is no singular form for clothes.

clothes

→ مَلَابِس oblečení tøj Kleidung ρούχα ropa vaatteet vêtements odjeća abiti 服 옷 kleren klær ubranie roupa одежда kläder เสื้อผ้า giysiler quần áo 衣服

clothes

, clothing

n. ropa.