From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishclothesclothes /kləʊðz, kləʊz $ kloʊðz, kloʊz/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [plural] CLOTHESthe things that people wear to cover their body or keep warm What sort of clothes was he wearing? I showered and put on clean clothes. He was still in his work clothes. a clothes shop → a change of clothes at change2(6), → plain-clothesGRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• Clothes is a plural noun. If you want to talk about one shirt, one sock etc, you say a piece of clothing or an item of clothing.• Clothes is always followed by a plural verb: All my clothes are packed and I’m ready for my trip.COLLOCATIONSverbswear clothesShe always wears beautiful clothes.be dressed in … clothesThe man was dressed in ordinary clothes.put your clothes onI told him to get up and put some clothes on.take off/remove your clothesShe took off her clothes and slipped into bed.change your clothesI usually change my clothes as soon as I get home from work.phrasesa change of clothesHe only took a small bag with a change of clothes.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + clotheswarm clothesIf you’re walking in the mountains, take plenty of warm clothes.casual clothesMost people feel more comfortable in casual clothes.evening clothesI don’t often have a chance to wear formal evening clothes.designer clothes (=made by a well-known designer)She spends hundreds of pounds on designer clothes.somebody’s best clothesThey wore their best clothes for the photograph.formal clothesIt’s best to wear formal clothes for an interview.school/work clothesWork clothes tend to be black, blue, or grey.sports clothesLou was wearing sports clothes and sunglasses.ordinary/everyday clothesEveryone else was wearing ordinary clothes.civilian clothes (=ordinary clothes rather than a military uniform)a US army lieutenant in civilian clothesbaby clothesa shop for baby clothesmaternity clothes (=for women who are having a baby)winter/summer clothesThe shops are already full of winter clothes.plain clothes (=ordinary clothes that the police wear in order not to be recognized)He was arrested by officers in plain clothes.clean clothesI had no clean clothes.dry clothesYou’d better change into dry clothes or you’ll get cold.fashionable/trendy clothesThe club was full of beautiful people wearing trendy clothes.elegantItalian people are often admired for their elegant clothes.old-fashionedI decided to throw out all my old-fashioned clothes.smart British EnglishDo you have to wear smart clothes to work?scruffy (=dirty and untidy)She was poor and dressed in scruffy clothes.second-hand clothes (=not new)Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.dowdy (=unfashionable and unattractive)Dowdy clothes make you have less confidence in yourself.THESAURUSclothes noun [plural] things you wear to cover your body or keep you warm. Clothes is always pluralI like your clothes!Don’t throw your dirty clothes on the floor!a clothes shopclothing noun [uncountable] used when talking in general about a type of clothes, or about making or selling clothes. Also used in the phrase a piece/item/article of clothing (=one of the things that someone wears)You’ll need to take some warm clothing.It is important to wear protective clothing at all times.a clothing manufacturera clothing retailerPolice found a piece of clothing in the bushes.I took a change of clothing with me.garment noun [countable] formal one thing that you wear. Also used when talking about buying and selling clothesa long velvet garmentthe garment industry garment workersgarment factoriesdress noun [uncountable] a particular style of clothes. Don’t use dress on its ownCasual dress is not appropriate for an interview. men in evening dresswear noun [uncountable] used about types of clothes sold in a shop, in the following phrases. Don’t use wear on its ownchildren’s wearsports wearcasual weargear /ɡɪə $ ɡɪr/ noun [uncountable] informal clothes for a particular sport or activityShe was wearing her running gear.Have you got all your gear?wardrobe noun [singular] all the clothes that you own, or all the clothes that you wear at a particular time of yearHer wardrobe consisted mainly of smart clothes for work.I will need a new summer wardrobe.You could win a complete new wardrobe!
Examples from the Corpus
clothes• Furniture and appliances, maps and globes, paints and clothes.• Most of it was toys and clothes.• You can pick up second-hand baby clothes very cheaply.• The princess arrayed herself in her best clothes and jewels.• It's hard to find clothes that fit me.• My mother always made us wear our good clothes for travelling.• I was given her clothes, which were too big and made the soldiers laugh.• He hadn't wondered where her clothes were when he'd returned to Primrose Cottage at the end of that autumn term.• Pete took his clothes off and went to bed.• I need to go buy some new clothes.• Dana always wears such nice clothes.• There are lots of clothes shops on Newbury Street.• We had to wash our own hair and mend our own clothes.• It was interesting to see everybody in their own clothes.• It showed a middle-aged man in the clothes of the late seventeenth-century.• The temperature should be around freezing tonight - it's time to get the winter clothes out.Origin clothes Old English clathas, plural of clath; → CLOTH 