clad

1 of 5

past tense and past participle of clothe

clad

2 of 5

adjective

ˈklad 

1

: being covered or clothed

ivy-clad buildings

clad in red silk pajamas

2

of a coin : consisting of outer layers of one metal bonded to a core of a different metal

half-dollar clad coins

clad

3 of 5

verb

clad or cladded; cladding

transitive verb

: sheathe, face

specifically : to cover (a metal) with another metal by bonding

stainless steel plates were clad with copper

clad

4 of 5

noun

1

a

: a composite material formed by cladding

b

: a clad coin

2

: cladding

specifically : the outer layer of a clad coin

clad-

5 of 5

combining form

variants or clado-

: slip : sprout

cladophyll

Synonyms

Verb

• face
• sheathe
• sheath

Examples of clad in a Sentence

Verb

if the vehicles are not clad in armor, they will remain vulnerable to roadside bombs

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

One pro-Trump, Elon-Musk-fanboy account recently shared a suggestive image depicting a scantily clad Harris surrounded by multiple clones of Donald Trump; it’s been viewed 1.6 million times. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024

Watch on Deadline Bridges, who is the hacker and original video game character Kevin Flynn, appears as something of an apparition at the end in white clad robes. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2024

Verb

The retro trend of cladding your rooms with wallpaper actually harkens further back to centuries past, when fine homes were showcases for pastoral murals in elegant gathering rooms. —Jamie Gold, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

The inquiry said architect Studio E, principal contractor Rydon, and cladding sub-contractor Harley all bore considerable responsibility for disaster. —Reuters, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2024

Noun

Chunky black hexagons spill out of the center of its grille, and matte plastic clads all the sharp body lines on the tiny SUV. —Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 13 Mar. 2023

As a result, Efergan, an easygoing 48-year-old clad in a V-neck undershirt, jeans and sneakers, is toiling full days and often manning the register. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, past participle of clothen "to clothe"

Verb

probably from clad entry 2, taken as an uninflected verb rather than an inflected form of clothe

Noun

derivative of clad entry 3

Combining form

combining form from Greek kládos "branch, sprig, frond," perhaps going back to Indo-European *kl̥dos "piece of wood" — more at holt

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

clad

1 of 2

past and past participle of clothe

clad

2 of 2 adjective

ˈklad 

: being covered : wearing clothes