clothing

noun

cloth·​ing ˈklō-t͟hiŋ How to pronounce clothing (audio)
Synonyms of clothingnext
: items (as of cloth) designed to be worn to cover the body
The children and their teachers strolled up the path, the colors of their winter clothing bright against the monotone of the field.—Ward Just
… radiating vibrance through her bright clothing and makeup.—Hannah Jones
also : coverings
… seeks to regulate and adopt flammability standards to upholstered furniture, mattresses, bed clothing and candles. —Home Textiles Today

Synonyms of clothing

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of clothing in a Sentence

an expensive article of clothing We're collecting food and clothing for the poor. Only people wearing protective clothing may enter the room.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The annual formalwear sale is open to anyone 11 or older and features gently used clothing, with most items priced from $3 to $25, according to the YWCA Elgin website. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 On top of that, Goodson’s clothing brand — RARE — began selling this month. — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Music and clothing from past decades have resurfaced, so why not food? — Mike Snider, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Eastman is positioning the application for urban environments where heat, humidity and changing activity levels can require clothing to perform across several settings. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clothing

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clothing was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing clothing

Rhymes for clothing

See All Rhymes for clothing

Browse Nearby Words

clothify
clothing
clothing wool
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clothing. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

clothing

noun
cloth·​ing ˈklō-t͟hiŋ How to pronounce clothing (audio)
1
: covering for the human body
2
: something that covers or conceals

More from Merriam-Webster on clothing

Nglish: Translation of clothing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All