clothes

clothes — noun

1. the garments that people wear on their bodies, like tops, coats, and trousers, t

1.nounA1
Definition

the garments that people wear on their bodies, like tops, coats, and trousers, to stay warm, to be comfortable, or to improve their appearance.

Example

Leila folded her clean clothes and placed them carefully in the wardrobe.

collocation: fold clothes / clean clothes

Before leaving for school, Tomás put on his school clothes and grabbed his backpack.

collocation: put on + clothes

Common collocations
  • put on clothes
  • take off clothes
  • fold clothes
  • wash clothes
  • clean clothes
  • dirty clothes
  • warm clothes
  • winter clothes
  • summer clothes
  • school clothes
  • work clothes
  • sports clothes
Synonyms
  • clothing

    more formal; used as an uncountable noun (much clothing, not many clothings)

  • garments

    formal or technical; used in manufacturing and retail contexts

  • attire

    formal; often describes clothing suited for a specific occasion (formal attire, evening attire)

Grammar Patterns

clothes + plural verb

these/those + clothes

many + clothes

Usage Note

Always used as a plural noun. There is no singular form 'clothe' that means one garment — the singular forms are 'item of clothing' or 'garment.' Use 'clothes' with a plural verb: 'These clothes are new' not 'This clothes is new.'

Common Mistakes

This clothes is very expensive.
These clothes are very expensive.
'clothes' is always plural and must be used with a plural verb.
I bought a new clothe for the party.
I bought new clothes for the party.' ✅ 'I bought an item of clothing for the party.
There is no singular 'clothe' meaning one garment.

2. the general category or type of garments that people wear on their bodies, espec

2.nounA2
Definition

the general category or type of garments that people wear on their bodies, especially when referring to a sector of retail, manufacturing, or charitable donation.

Example

The department store has an entire floor dedicated to women's clothes.

collective sense; collocation: women's clothes / men's clothes

Hana donated several bags of clothes to the local homeless shelter.

Common collocations
  • women's clothes
  • men's clothes
  • children's clothes
  • eco-friendly clothes
  • designer clothes
  • clothes industry
  • clothes shop
  • clothes donation
Synonyms
  • clothing

    the closest synonym; 'clothing' is uncountable and more common in formal/industry writing

  • apparel

    formal or commercial term; often used in retail (apparel store, apparel industry)

  • wear

    used in compound nouns: menswear, sportswear, childrenswear

Grammar Patterns

clothes + plural verb

collective/category sense

Usage Note

This sense treats 'clothes' as a broad category rather than specific items. It commonly appears in retail, manufacturing, and charitable contexts. Unlike sense 1, this sense often collects 'clothes' with other general categories: 'food and clothes,' 'shoes and clothes.' Still takes a plural verb.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'The clothes industry is growing.' (acceptable but sense 2 is more natural here) — this is not a mistake per se, but sense 2 is better suited for collective/industry contexts.

Idioms

the emperor's new clothes

idiom

A situation where people pretend to admire something because they are afraid to admit they do not understand it or see its value.

Many critics praised the film, but later called it the emperor's new clothes.

Did the team's winning streak reveal real skill or just the emperor's new clothes?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words refer to what people wear, they differ in formality and usage. 'Clothes' is the everyday, all-purpose word — you wear clothes to school, wash clothes at home, and buy clothes at a shop. 'Clothing' is its more formal, uncountable cousin, common in writing and official contexts ('warm clothing for the winter,' 'clothing donation'). 'Garments' sounds technical or industrial; you see it on labels and in manufacturing ('garment factory,' 'garment district'). 'Attire' is reserved for specific dress codes ('business attire,' 'evening attire') and sounds more elegant. 'Apparel' is a commercial term used in retail ('apparel store,' 'sporting apparel'). In everyday conversation, 'clothes' is almost always right. When writing a report or speaking formally, 'clothing' is a safe upgrade.

clothing ↗garmentsattireapparel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • winter clothes
  • summer clothes
  • casual clothes
  • formal clothes
  • sports clothes
  • school clothes
  • work clothes
  • baby clothes
  • designer clothes
  • second-hand clothes

Phrases

  • a change of clothes
  • put on clothes
  • take off clothes
  • fold clothes
  • wash clothes
  • pack clothes
  • try on clothes
  • hang up clothes

Prepositions

  • in (dressed in warm clothes)
  • out of (get out of your wet clothes)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old English 'clāþas,' the plural of 'clāþ' meaning a piece of cloth. The word originally referred to pieces of fabric, but over time it came to mean the garments made from that fabric — the clothing people wear. Related to the modern word 'cloth.'