INDEX:
1. clothes
2. clothes that you wear together as a set
3. special clothes worn by a group or profession
4. clothes that you wear for sport
5. clothes that used to belong to someone else
6. to wear a particular piece of clothing or set of clothes
7. to put on clothes
8. to put on clothes for a special occasion
9. to put someone else’s clothes on for them
10. to take off your clothes
11. to take off someone else’s clothes
12. not wearing any clothes
RELATED WORDS
wearing good clothes : ↑ WELL-DRESSED
see also
↑ FASHIONABLE/NOT FASHIONABLE
↑ MATERIAL (2)
↑ FASTEN/UNFASTEN
↑ LOOSE
↑ TIGHT
↑ FIT/NOT FIT (1-4)
↑ SIMPLE (5)
↑ STYLE/ELEGANCE
↑ SUIT/LOOK GOOD TOGETHER
↑ TASTE IN CLOTHES, MUSIC ETC
◆◆◆
1. clothes
▷ clothes /kləʊðz, kləʊz/ [plural noun]
things that you wear, for example coats, shirts, and dresses :
▪ I need to go buy some new clothes.
▪ The temperature should be around freezing tonight - it’s time to get the winter clothes out.
▪ My mother always made us wear our good clothes for travelling.
▪ There are lots of clothes shops on Newbury Street.
baby/school/dance etc clothes
for babies, for school etc
▪ You can pick up second-hand baby clothes very cheaply.
▷ clothing /ˈkləʊðɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
clothes in general - use this either to talk about a particular type of clothes, or to talk about a large quantity of clothes :
▪ Charities have been delivering food and clothing to the disaster area.
warm/light/outdoor etc clothing
▪ Because of the heat, officials are asking people to wear light, loose-fitting clothing and to drink plenty of water.
piece/item/article of clothing
one thing that you wear, for example a shirt or a dress formal
▪ There was nothing in the chest except for a few items of clothing.
▷ something/anything/nothing to wear /ˌsʌmθɪŋ, ˌeniθɪŋ, ˌnʌθɪŋ tə ˈweəʳ/ [noun phrase] spoken
clothes, especially clothes for a particular event or occasion :
▪ I must buy something to wear at Julie’s wedding.
▪ You’re always saying you have nothing to wear, but you’ve got a whole closet full of clothes.
▪ I can’t find anything to wear!
▷ garment /ˈgɑːʳmənt/ [countable noun] formal
a single piece of clothing - used especially by people who make or sell clothes :
▪ The garment industry has grown by 20% in this area in the past five years.
▪ Only two garments may be taken into the changing room.
▷ wardrobe /ˈwɔːʳdrəʊb/ [singular noun]
all the clothes that you own - used especially by people who write about fashion or by people who sell clothes :
▪ Enter our simple fashion quiz and win a whole new wardrobe.
▪ We have everything you need to update your business wardrobe.
winter/summer etc wardrobe
the clothes you have that are suitable to wear in the winter, summer etc
▪ By adding a few bright buttons or belts to your old clothes you can have a new summer wardrobe.
▷ wear /weəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
evening/casual/sports/children’s etc wear
the clothes worn for a particular occasion or activity or by a particular group of people - used especially by people who make or sell clothes :
▪ a shop that specializes in evening wear
▪ You’ll find a nice range of silk ties in the menswear department on the fourth floor.
▪ The company’s line of casual wear is primarily sold in large discount chain stores.
2. clothes that you wear together as a set
▷ suit /suːt, sjuːtǁsuːt/ [countable noun]
a pair of trousers or a skirt, that you wear with a short coat made of the same material :
▪ She wore a black suit for the interview.
▪ Bob was wearing a business suit.
▪ The restaurant seemed to be filled with men in grey suits.
▷ outfit /ˈaʊtˌfɪt/ [countable noun]
a set of clothes that look attractive together, that you wear for a special occasion - use this especially about women’s clothes :
▪ That’s a beautiful outfit you’re wearing.
▪ She went out and spent $200 on a new outfit for the party.
▷ costume /ˈkɒstjʊmǁˈkɑːstuːm/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a set of clothes for acting in a play or performance or that you wear for a party to make you look like someone or something else :
▪ My daughter wore a witch costume in the Hallowe'en parade.
▪ I didn’t like the play much but the costumes were amazing.
3. special clothes worn by a group or profession
▷ uniform /ˈjuːnɪfɔːʳm, ˈjuːnəfɔːʳm/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a set of clothes that are worn by all the people who belong to a particular organization, for example soldiers, police officers, or schoolchildren :
▪ Do you have to wear a uniform if you work at McDonald’s?
school uniform
▪ I used to hate wearing a school uniform.
in uniform
wearing uniform
▪ Some of the policemen walking amongst the crowds were not in uniform.
4. clothes that you wear for sport
▷ things British also stuff American /θɪŋz, stʌf/ [plural noun]
swimming/football/tennis etc things
spoken
the clothes that you wear for swimming, playing football etc :
▪ Don’t forget to bring your swimming things when we go to Brighton.
▪ I left my gym stuff in the car.
▷ kit /kɪt/ [uncountable noun] British
a set of clothes that that you wear when you play football, tennis etc :
▪ I told the children to put on their gym kit and go outside.
▪ Roz keeps her squash kit at the office and plays at lunchtime.
▷ strip British /uniform American /strɪp, ˈjuːnə̇fɔːʳm/ [countable noun]
the set of clothes that a particular team wears in sport :
▪ The uniform of the New York Yankees is white with a fine blue stripe.
▪ Charlie wasn’t allowed to play because he’d forgotten his strip.
▷ gear /gɪəʳ/ [uncountable noun] informal
the set of clothes and other equipment that are used for a sport or activity :
▪ Did you pack my hiking gear?
▪ Now that I’ve got all the gear, I’m ready to come out riding with you.
5. clothes that used to belong to someone else
▷ cast-offs/castoffs /ˈkɑːst ɒfsǁˈkæst-/ [plural noun]
clothes that you no longer wear and have given to someone else :
▪ I’m not interested in wearing other people’s castoffs.
▪ Our mother kept a box of old castoffs and we spent hours dressing up, pretending to be princesses or pirates.
cast-off [adjective only before noun]
▪ castoff clothes and shoes
▷ hand-me-down /ˈhænd miː ˌdaʊn/ [countable noun usually plural]
a piece of clothing that is given to a younger child in a family when their older brother or sister has grown too big for them or stopped wearing them :
▪ The youngest child in the family usually gets all the hand-me-downs.
▪ This sweater is a hand-me-down from my sister, but I love it.
hand-me-down [adjective only before noun]
▪ Diego wore a hand-me-down jacket, still too big for him.
6. to wear a particular piece of clothing or set of clothes
▷ wear /weəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to have clothes, shoes, glasses, jewellery etc on your body :
▪ She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
▪ Were you wearing your jacket when we got on the bus?
wear black/red/green etc
wear black clothes, red clothes etc
▪ Carolyn always wore bright colors like red.
somebody wears something
someone usually wears a particular type of clothes
▪ She wears sandals, even in the winter.
▪ I wear a lot of black.
▷ in /ɪn/ [preposition]
in a suit/in a red dress etc
wearing a suit, a red dress etc :
▪ a couple of boys in baseball caps
▪ There was a man in a linen suit standing at the bar.
▷ have on /ˌhæv ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive]
to be wearing clothes, shoes, glasses, or jewellery :
have a coat/jacket/suit etc on
▪ That’s Jenny Salton over there; she has a blue dress on.
▪ Could you read this for me? I don’t have my glasses on.
have on a coat/jacket/suit etc
▪ ‘What was she wearing?’ ‘I think she had on a dark suit.’
▷ be dressed /biː ˈdrest/ [verb phrase]
to be wearing clothes :
▪ Are you dressed yet? We have to leave now!
be dressed in
▪ They were all dressed in T-shirts and jeans.
▪ a woman dressed in green
be dressed as somebody
wearing clothes that make you look like someone else
▪ Some of the children were dressed as soldiers.
▷ be dressed up /biː ˌdrest ˈʌp/ [verb phrase] American
to be wearing formal clothes or your best clothes, for example on a special occasion :
▪ Look at you - you’re all dressed up!
▪ Harvey arrived, dressed up in his only business suit.
▷ dress down /ˌdres ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb] British
to wear clothes that are more informal than you usually wear :
▪ We dress down at work these days, unless we’re going to a client meeting.
▷ be bundled up /biː ˌbʌndld ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
to be wearing a lot of warm clothes because it is cold :
be bundled up in
▪ The old man sat on his porch bundled up in old sweaters and scarves.
be bundled up against the cold/rain/wind etc
▪ Spectators, bundled up against the cold, stood and listened to the President speak for an hour.
▷ be kitted out in /biː ˌkɪtə̇d ˈaʊt ɪn/ [verb phrase] British
to be wearing a particular kind of clothes, especially to do an activity :
▪ Anna was kitted out in her riding gear, waiting by the car.
7. to put on clothes
▷ put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put on a piece of clothing :
put something on
▪ Put your coat on if you’re going out.
put on something
▪ She put on her bathrobe and went downstairs.
▷ get dressed /ˌget ˈdrest/ [verb phrase]
to put on the clothes that you usually wear during the day or to go out in clothes :
▪ I got dressed quickly and ran outside.
▪ Sandra’s in the bedroom getting dressed.
▷ try on /ˌtraɪ ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put on a piece of clothing, to see if it fits you and if it looks nice on you :
try something on
▪ If you like the shoes, why don’t you try them on?
try on something
▪ I tried on a beautiful coat, but it was too big.
▷ slip on /ˌslɪp ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put a piece of clothing on quickly and easily :
slip something/it/them on
▪ I took out my old cardigan and slipped it on.
▪ The girls got out their party dresses, giggling as they slipped them on.
slip on something
▪ She slipped on a pair of white jeans and a black sleeveless top.
▷ wrap up /ˌræp ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to put on warm clothing, especially because you are going out in cold weather :
wrap up warm
▪ You ought to wrap up warm -- I think it’s going to snow.
be wrapped up against the cold
▪ The kids, wrapped up in layers against the cold, waddled out to play.
▷ dress up /ˌdres ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to wear clothes that you do not normally wear so that you look like someone else for fun :
▪ Most kids love dressing up.
dress up in
▪ They were dressed up in old sheets, pretending to be ghosts.
dress up as
▪ One of the students dressed up as a rabbit and marched around campus carrying a sign.
dress yourself up
▪ I came in to find that my daughter had dressed herself up in my clothes.
8. to put on clothes for a special occasion
▷ dress up/get dressed up /ˌdres ˈʌp, get ˌdrest ˈʌp/ []
to put on clothes that are suitable for a special or formal occasion :
▪ Do we have to get dressed up to go to this restaurant?
▪ It’s an informal party, so you don’t need to dress up.
▷ doll yourself up/get dolled up /ˌdɒl jɔːʳself ˈʌp ǁˌdɑːl-, get ˌdɒld ˈʌpǁ-ˌdɑːld-/ [verb phrase] informal
to put on your best clothes and pay a lot of attention to your appearance, usually for a special occasion - used especially about women :
▪ You don’t need to doll yourself up. It’s only my sister who’s coming to dinner.
9. to put someone else’s clothes on for them
▷ dress somebody/get somebody dressed /ˈdres somebody, ˌget somebody ˈdrest/ [transitive verb/verb phrase]
▪ Honey, can you get the kids dressed, please?
▪ The nurses have to wash and dress the patients before the doctor comes to see them.
10. to take off your clothes
▷ take off /ˌteɪk ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
take off something
▪ ‘It’s warm in here,’ said Michael, taking off his jacket.
take something/it/them off
▪ Take your shoes off before you come in.
▪ Mom, I hate this tie. Can I take it off?
▷ get undressed /ˌget ʌnˈdrest/ [verb phrase]
to take off all your clothes, especially before going to bed :
▪ She got undressed and went to bed.
▷ undress /ʌnˈdres/ [intransitive verb] written
to take off all your clothes, especially before going to bed :
▪ Paul went into the bathroom to undress.
▷ get changed /get ˈtʃeɪndʒd/ [verb phrase]
to take off your clothes and put on different clothes :
▪ The boys ran up the stairs to get changed.
▪ I’ll be ready in a second, I just have to get changed.
▷ change /tʃeɪndʒ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to take off all or some of your clothes and put different clothes on :
▪ Do you mind waiting while I change my clothes?
change into
▪ She changed into a sweater and some jeans.
change out of
▪ Ed went into the bedroom to change out of his work clothes.
▷ strip off /ˌstrɪp ˈɒf/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to quickly take off all your clothes or a piece of clothing :
▪ We stripped off and dived into the pool.
strip off something
▪ She ran upstairs, stripped off her jeans and sweater and pulled on a dressing gown.
▷ strip /strɪp/ [intransitive verb]
to take off all your clothes, especially because someone has told you to, or in a way that is deliberately sexually exciting :
▪ The women in the club screamed and clapped as the male dancers began to strip.
strip to the waist
take off all the clothes on the top half of your body
▪ ‘I’d like you to strip to the waist so I can listen to your chest,’ said the doctor.
strip (down) to your shorts, underwear etc
take off everything except your shorts, underwear etc
▪ The prisoners were ordered to strip down to their underwear and wait for the guards.
▷ tear off /ˌteər ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to take off your clothes or a piece of clothing very quickly and roughly :
tear off something
▪ I tore off the plastic gloves and threw them away.
tear something off
▪ James began to undress wildly, tearing his clothes off as if he was on fire.
11. to take off someone else’s clothes
▷ undress somebody/get somebody undressed /ʌnˈdres somebody, ˌget somebody ʌnˈdrest/ [transitive verb/verb phrase]
to take off all someone’s clothes for them, especially because they are unable to do it themselves :
▪ I’ll get the children undressed and ready for bed.
▪ Two nurses undressed the old woman and lifted her on to the bed.
▷ strip /strɪp/ [transitive verb]
to take off all someone’s clothes because you are going to punish or search them :
▪ One of the guards stripped the prisoner and beat him with a chain.
▪ I was taken to police headquarters where I was stripped and searched.
strip somebody naked
▪ The men were stripped naked and herded into a small prison cell.
▷ tear somebody’s clothes off /ˌteəʳ somebodyˈs ˈkləʊðz ɒf/ [verb phrase]
to very quickly and roughly take off someone’s clothes :
▪ Molly tore off the child’s clothing looking for more marks and bruises.
▷ strip search /ˈstrɪp ˌsɜːʳtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to make someone remove their clothes in order to check their body for hidden drugs or weapons :
▪ We cannot open every piece of baggage and strip search every passenger on every flight.
▪ Hicks was taken to the police station, strip searched, and put in a holding cell.
strip search [countable noun]
▪ Are strip searches legal?
12. not wearing any clothes
▷ have nothing on/not have anything on /hæv ˌnʌθɪŋ ˈɒn, nɒt hæv ˌeniθɪŋ ˈɒn/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to not be wearing any clothes :
▪ Don’t come in yet - I don’t have anything on!
▪ I didn’t want to walk near the windows with nothing on.
▷ naked /ˈneɪkɪd, ˈneɪkəd/ [adjective]
wearing no clothes - use this especially when it is surprising that someone is not wearing clothes :
▪ He was lying on the bed, completely naked.
▪ The magazine was full of pictures of naked men.
stark naked also buck naked
American completely naked
▪ I walked in, and Mr Tolifero was standing there buck naked.
▷ undressed /ʌnˈdrest/ [adjective]
wearing no clothes because you have just taken them off, for example to have a bath or go to bed :
▪ When you’re undressed, the nurse will come back and explain the procedure.
▷ bare /beəʳ/ [adjective]
a part of your body that is bare is not covered by any clothes :
▪ bare feet
▪ The dress tied around her neck, leaving her shoulders bare.
▷ nude /njuːdǁnuːd/ [adjective]
a word meaning naked, used especially when talking about images of naked people in paintings, films etc :
▪ At the front of the painting is a nude figure carrying a torch.
nude photograph/scene/drawing etc
showing someone wearing no clothes
▪ On the wall was a nude drawing of her husband.
nudity /ˈnjuːdɪti, ˈnjuːdətiǁˈnuː-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Attitudes to nudity in films have changed in recent years.
nude [countable noun]
▪ He showed me a beautiful painting of a nude a picture of a nude person .
▷ in the nude /ɪn ðə ˈnjuːdǁ-ˈnuːd/ [adverb]
if you do something in the nude, you do it wearing no clothes at all, especially when this is unusual, exciting, or shocking :
▪ He told me he cleans his house in the nude!
▪ The pictures show Collier on top of a New York skyscraper in the nude.
▷ in your birthday suit /ɪn jɔːʳ ˈbɜːʳθdeɪ ˌsuːt/ [adverb] informal
without any clothes on - used humorously :
▪ Martin’s threatened to turn up for the wedding in his birthday suit.
▷ nudist/naturist /ˈnjuːdɪst, ˈnjuːdəstǁˈnuː-, ˈneɪtʃərə̇st/ [countable noun]
someone who enjoys not wearing any clothes because they believe it is natural and healthy :
▪ A close friend who is a nudist, convinced Michelle to visit the community with him.
nudist/naturist [adjective]
▪ There are naturist beaches on most of the Greek islands.