clothe

verb

ˈklōt͟h 

clothed or clad ˈklad  ; clothing

transitive verb

1

a

: to cover with or as if with cloth or clothing : dress

b

: to provide with clothes

the cost of feeding and clothing a family

2

: to express or enhance by suitably significant language : couch

treaties clothed in stately phraseology

3

: to endow especially with power or a quality

the nobility in which religion and history can clothe humanity

—D. R. Wallace

Synonyms

• apparel
• array
• attire
• bedeck
• caparison
• costume
• deck (out)
• do up
• dress
• dress up
• enrobe
• garb
• garment
• get up
• gown
• habit
• invest
• rig (out)
• robe
• suit
• tog (up or out)
• toilet
• vesture

Examples of clothe in a Sentence

the cost of feeding and clothing your children

they liked to clothe the twins in identical outfits just to confuse people

Recent Examples on the Web

One rumor covers a camera area clad in aluminum rather than glass, though it’s thought that the majority of the iPhone’s rear will still be made of glass. —David Phelan, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Onstage, clad in Punjabi attire, Diljit was charming and assured, his every smile and twirl of his mustache setting the crowd into a wave of applause and cheers. —Richard Trapunski, Billboard, 20 Dec. 2024

Sonny and Cher showed up in 1973 looking fresh out of Studio 54, with Cher clad in a heavy fur and groovy, midriff-baring ensemble. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024

Taylor-Joy, clad in a timeless black evening dress, visits iconic New York locations, including Brooklyn Bridge and Tiffany & Co.’s storied Fifth Avenue store. —Fairchild Studio, WWD, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English clāthian, from clāth

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

clothe

verb

ˈklōt͟h 

clothed or clad ˈklad  ; clothing

1

a

: to cover with or as if with clothing : dress

b

: to provide with clothes

2

: to express in a certain way

clothe your thoughts clearly