clothe
Americanverb
-
to dress or attire (a person)
-
to provide with clothing or covering
-
to conceal or disguise
-
to endow or invest
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
preclotheverb (used with object)
-
half-clothedadjective
-
underclothedadjective
-
reclotheverb (used with object)
-
well-clothedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have cladperfect
-
has cladperfect 3rd person singular
-
have clothedperfect
-
has clothedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been clothingperfect progressive
-
is clothingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
clothessingular 3rd person
-
clothingparticiple
-
am clothingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been clothingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are clothingprogressive
Past
-
had cladperfect
-
had clothedperfect
-
was clothingprogressive singular
-
had been clothingperfect progressive
-
cladparticiple
-
clothedsimple
-
clothedparticiple
-
were clothingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of clothe
before 950; Middle English clothen, Old English clāthian, derivative of clāth cloth
Explanation
To clothe someone is to give them something to wear, or to dress them in clothing. If you clothe your dog in cute outfits, you may traumatize him for life. You can clothe yourself, or someone else — for example, you might clothe yourself in black for a relative's funeral or clothe yourself in sequins and feathers for the school dance. You can also figuratively clothe someone or something, lending them a sense of power or respectability. Clothe shares a root with clothing and cloth, the Old English claþ, "cloth or sail," and also "woven material to wrap around oneself."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This view also drives many advocates of universal basic income—including those believing that the AI-fueled labor market of the future won’t produce jobs that pay wages sufficient to feed, clothe and shelter families.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
The agency estimates it could cost close to $700 million to train, clothe and pay the slew of temporary mechanics and drivers needed to deliver passengers to games.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2024
During that year, families struggled to afford food, clothe their children and heat their homes.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024
“Not only is food very expensive, but school supplies have also doubled in price. I also have to clothe my children and, above all, deal with their illnesses,” the 65-year-old said.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023
The dole is nineteen shillings and sixpence a week, the rent is six and six, and that leaves thirteen shillings to feed and clothe five people and keep us warm in the winter.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
