Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

clothe

/ˈkloʊð/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.75 in modern English

Syllables: clothe
IPA: /ˈkloʊð/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To adorn or cover with clothing; to dress; to supply clothes or clothing.

Transitive verb

verb

To cover or invest, as if with a garment.

Example Sentences

"to feed and clothe a family; to clothe oneself extravagantly"
"Go with me to clothe you as becomes you."
"For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."
"The naked every day he clad, / When he put on his clothes."
"to clothe somebody with authority or power"
"language in which they can clothe their thoughts"

Etymology

From Middle English clothen, from Old English *clāþian (“to clothe”), from Proto-Germanic *klaiþōną (“to clothe”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to adhere to, stick”). Cognate with Dutch kleden, German kleiden, Swedish kläda, after apocope klä. See also cloth, clad.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: clothen, *clāþian, *klaiþōną, *gley-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkloʊð/
British English: /ˈkləʊð/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

clothes (present, singular) clothing (participle, present) clothed (participle, past) clothed (past) clad (archaic, participle) clad (archaic, past) cloathe (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

beclothe enclothe overclothe reclothe unclothe underclothe

Phrases

get dressed

Frequently Paired Words

clothed get dressed wear

Synonyms

dight don put on accouter address apparel array attire beclothe clothe garment dress

Antonyms

undress

Rhymes With

loathe bothe rothe grothe kothe betroth unclothe

Questions

How do you pronounce clothe?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkloʊð/.
What does clothe mean?: To adorn or cover with clothing; to dress; to supply clothes or clothing.
Where does clothe come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce clothe

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “clothe”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkloʊð/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “clothe”.
Repeat and practice — Say “clothe” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.