wardrobe

wardrobe — noun

1. a tall container with a rail or hooks, where you keep clothes by hanging them —

1.nounA2
Definition

a tall container with a rail or hooks, where you keep clothes by hanging them — either a freestanding unit or a cupboard set into a wall.

Example

Felix hung his school uniform in the wardrobe every evening.

in + the + wardrobe (location)

The wardrobe in Mateo's bedroom had three wooden shelves and a long metal rail.

wardrobe + [preposition phrase: in someone's room]

Common collocations
  • built-in wardrobe
  • fitted wardrobe
  • double wardrobe
  • wardrobe doors
  • wardrobe rail
  • wardrobe space
  • hang in the wardrobe
Synonyms
  • closet

    American English term for a built-in storage space for clothes; in BrE, 'closet' usually means a small private room

  • armoire

    a large, ornate freestanding wardrobe, often antique and made of decorative wood

  • cupboard

    a general term for a storage cabinet with shelves; a cupboard is usually shallower and typically has shelves rather than a hanging rail

Grammar Patterns

a + [adjective] + wardrobe

wardrobe + [preposition phrase]

Usage Note

In British English, wardrobe is the usual word for a tall freestanding or built-in cupboard with a rail for hanging clothes. In American English, the equivalent is typically called a closet; wardrobe in AmE often refers specifically to antique or ornamental freestanding pieces, or to the clothes collection (Sense 2).

Common Mistakes

I keep my folded T-shirts in the wardrobe.
I keep my folded T-shirts in the drawer / on the shelf in the wardrobe.
Wardrobes are mainly for hanging clothes; folded items belong on shelves or in drawers inside the wardrobe, not just 'in the wardrobe.'

2. the full range of garments, shoes, and accessories belonging to someone, includi

2.nounB1
Definition

the full range of garments, shoes, and accessories belonging to someone, including everything they wear from day to day.

Example

For her new office job, Tanvi needed to buy a completely new wardrobe.

buy/get + a + [adjective] + wardrobe

Amihan packed her entire winter wardrobe into two large suitcases for the trip.

Common collocations
  • entire wardrobe
  • summer/winter wardrobe
  • capsule wardrobe
  • professional wardrobe
  • curate a wardrobe
  • build a wardrobe
  • refresh one's wardrobe
  • a wardrobe of clothes
Synonyms
  • attire

    more formal; refers to clothes worn for a specific occasion rather than a person's whole collection

  • apparel

    very formal or technical; used in retail and manufacturing contexts

  • clothes

    the everyday, neutral term; less specific about the set as a whole

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] + wardrobe

[season/adjective] + wardrobe

a wardrobe of + [plural noun]

Common Mistakes

My wardrobe is broken, so I cannot open the door.' (meaning the furniture)
My wardrobe door is broken, so I cannot open it.
If you mean the piece of furniture (Sense 1), use a more specific phrase. 'My wardrobe' alone can be ambiguous between the cupboard and the clothes collection.

3. the department or section within a theatre, film studio, or television productio

3.nounB2
Definition

the department or section within a theatre, film studio, or television production company that manages, repairs, and supplies costumes and clothing for performers.

Example

Élise worked in the wardrobe department of the National Theatre for six years.

work in + the wardrobe department

The wardrobe team had only two hours to repair the lead actress's costume before the show.

the wardrobe team + repair/prepare + costume

Common collocations
  • wardrobe department
  • wardrobe team
  • wardrobe staff
  • wardrobe assistant
  • head of wardrobe
  • wardrobe mistress
  • wardrobe master
  • wardrobe truck
  • work in wardrobe
Synonyms
  • costume department

    more transparent term; 'wardrobe' is the traditional theatre-industry term

  • costume shop

    often refers to the physical workshop where costumes are made, rather than the department that manages them

Grammar Patterns

the + wardrobe + [noun]

work in + wardrobe

the wardrobe + department/team/staff

Usage Note

Frequently appears in compounds: 'wardrobe department', 'wardrobe mistress/master', 'wardrobe assistant', 'wardrobe truck'. In theatre credits, 'Wardrobe' alone is used as a job title ('Head of Wardrobe').

Common Mistakes

She works in wardrobe department.
She works in the wardrobe department.' or 'She works in wardrobe.
'wardrobe department' needs the definite article unless it is being used as a title or department name ('She is Head of Wardrobe').

Word family

  • wardrobe malfunction
    noun phraseC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Wardrobe, closet, cupboard, armoire, and dresser all refer to storage furniture, but they differ in form and regional use. Wardrobe (BrE) and closet (AmE) are the main terms for a tall space with a hanging rail — a wardrobe is often a freestanding piece, while a closet is typically built into a wall. Cupboard is a broader term for any cabinet with shelves, usually shallower and without a hanging rail. Armoire is a large, ornate freestanding wardrobe, often antique and made of decorative wood. A dresser (AmE) or chest of drawers is for folded clothes and has no hanging space. In everyday British English, ask for 'a wardrobe'; in American English, a built-in storage space is 'a closet' and a freestanding piece may still be called 'an armoire' or 'a wardrobe.' For example: 'Felix hung his coat in the wardrobe' (BrE) vs. 'Felix hung his coat in the closet' (AmE).

wardrobe ↗closet ↗cupboard ↗armoiredresser

Common collocations

Nouns

  • wardrobe space
  • wardrobe storage
  • wardrobe malfunction

Phrases

  • built-in wardrobe
  • fitted wardrobe
  • wardrobe of clothes
  • head of wardrobe

Prepositions

  • in the wardrobe
  • from the wardrobe
  • out of the wardrobe

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wardrobe comes from Old French 'warderobe' (warder = to guard + robe = garment), literally meaning 'a room where garments are kept.' It entered English around the 14th century, first referring to a room or large cupboard for storing valuable clothes and personal items. Over time, the meaning broadened from the storage space to also include the collection of clothes kept in it, and later to the theatre department responsible for costumes.