clothing

clothing — noun

1. the items such as shirts, trousers, dresses, and jackets that people wear to cov

1.nounB2
Definition

the items such as shirts, trousers, dresses, and jackets that people wear to cover their bodies.

Example

The charity shop accepts donations of gently used clothing for families in need.

collocation: donate + clothing

Aiko packed warm clothing for her trip to the mountain village in Hokkaido.

collocation: pack + clothing / warm clothing

Common collocations
  • warm clothing
  • protective clothing
  • formal clothing
  • casual clothing
  • designer clothing
  • donate clothing
Synonyms
  • clothes

    more common in everyday speech; 'clothes' is the everyday word, while 'clothing' is slightly more formal and often used as a category label

  • garments

    more formal; frequently used in fashion, retail, and manufacturing contexts

  • apparel

    formal or business term, common in retail signage ('men's apparel') and the clothing industry

  • attire

    formal; refers specifically to clothing suited to a particular occasion (e.g. evening attire, business attire)

Grammar Patterns

clothing + singular verb

Usage Note

Clothing is an uncountable noun — do not use 'a clothing' or 'clothings'. Use 'an item of clothing' or 'a piece of clothing' to refer to one specific garment.

Common Mistakes

I bought a new clothing yesterday.
I bought some new clothes yesterday.' or 'I bought a new item of clothing yesterday.
'clothing' is uncountable; use 'clothes' or 'an item of clothing' for countable references.
Idioms

a wolf in sheep’s clothing

idiom

Someone who appears harmless or friendly but is actually dangerous or has bad intentions.

Maya thought her new friend was kind, but he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The smiling salesman turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing who cheated many customers.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Clothes is the most common everyday word — you wear clothes to school or work. Garments is more formal and is used in the fashion industry or on product labels. Apparel appears mainly in retail or business settings ('sportswear apparel'). Attire refers to clothing chosen for a specific occasion, such as evening attire or wedding attire. Outfit is countable and means a coordinated set of clothes worn together. For general reference across all contexts, 'clothes' and 'clothing' are the safest choices — 'clothing' sounds slightly more formal and is often used as a category heading ('clothing store', 'clothing donation').

clothes ↗garmentsapparel ↗attireoutfit

Common collocations

Nouns

  • clothing store
  • clothing line
  • clothing donation
  • clothing industry
  • clothing brand

Phrases

  • an item of clothing
  • a piece of clothing
  • layer of clothing

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Clothing comes from the Old English word 'clāþung', which originally meant the action of putting cloth onto the body. It is formed from 'clāþ' (cloth) plus the suffix '-ung' (which became '-ing'). Over time the focus shifted from the action to the garments themselves.