What does "clothes" mean?

1. (items you wear) the things you wear on your body, like shirts, trousers, and dresses. 2. (bed coverings) the sheets and blankets you use on a bed. 3. (laundry) items that have been washed and are drying.

clothes — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I need to buy a new clothes for the party."?

No — say "I need to buy some new clothes for the party.". Clothes is always plural. You cannot use 'a' or 'one' with it; use 'some' or 'a piece of clothing' instead.

Word

01items you wear

A1 · Beginner Plural noun

n. the things you wear on your body, like shirts, trousers, and dresses.

n. garments or apparel worn on the body. Plural-only; takes a plural verb and cannot be used with a specific number.

“She packed her summer clothes into a small suitcase for the holiday.”

“The fashion industry produces vast quantities of clothes every year, leading to significant environmental concerns regarding textile waste.”

Usage

Always takes a plural verb (e.g., 'My clothes are wet'). To refer to a single item, use 'a piece of clothing' or 'an item of clothing'.

Pitfall

I need to buy a new clothes for the party.

I need to buy some new clothes for the party.

Clothes is always plural. You cannot use 'a' or 'one' with it; use 'some' or 'a piece of clothing' instead.

Synonyms

garments apparel attire

02bed coverings

B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun

n. the sheets and blankets you use on a bed.

n. the coverings of a bed, such as sheets, blankets, and quilts. Often used in the compound 'bedclothes'.

“He pulled the clothes up to his chin to stay warm during the night.”

“The nurse changed the bed clothes every morning to ensure the patient remained comfortable and the environment stayed sterile.”

Synonyms

beddingbedclotheslinens

03laundry

B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun

n. items that have been washed and are drying.

n. laundry that has been washed and is typically hung on a line to dry.

“I need to bring the clothes in from the garden before it starts raining.”

“The backyard was filled with rows of damp clothes flapping in the brisk autumn breeze.”

Synonyms

laundry washing

clothes vs cloth vs clothing

Cloth is the raw fabric, clothes are the specific items you wear, and clothing is the general category or industry term.

RememberCloth is material; clothes are items; clothing is the category.

From Middle English clothes, cloþes, plural of cloth, cloþ (“cloth, garment”), from Old English clāþas (“clothes”), plural of clāþ (“cloth”), equivalent to cloth + -es. Cognate with Scots clathes, claes (“clothes”), Danish klæder, Norwegian Bokmål klær, Norwegian Nynorsk klede, German Kleider.

From clothe + -s.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

clothing gear outgrow threads untidy