clothes
Clothes (noun) means Items worn on the body to cover it, keep it warm or present a chosen appearance — shirts, trousers, dresses, coats and the like — taken together. Example: “Put your clothes in the wash before you go out.”
How to use clothes
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe things you wear.
Neutral and everyday. Attire and apparel are formal or trade terms; garments is retail and laundry language.
Cloths (with no E before the S) is the plural of cloth, meaning pieces of fabric. Clothes means garments. They are different words with different pronunciations.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Put your _____ in the wash before you go out.
Etymology
From Old English clathas, the plural of clath 'cloth, garment'; clothes and cloth are historically the same word.
Related words
Rhymes for clothes
See all rhymes for clothes →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between clothes and clothing?
They mean the same things but behave differently. Clothes is always plural and takes a plural verb; clothing is uncountable and slightly more formal or general. Say my clothes are dirty, and the clothing industry, not my clothings.
Is clothes singular or plural?
Always plural. There is no singular form — you cannot say a clothe. For one item, say a piece of clothing, an item of clothing, or name the garment.
How is clothes pronounced?
Most speakers say it as klohz, identical to close as in close the door. Carefully pronouncing the TH is not wrong but sounds unusual in ordinary speech.
What is the meaning of clothes?
"clothes" (noun) means items worn on the body to cover it, keep it warm or present a chosen appearance — shirts, trousers, dresses, coats and the like — taken together.