apparel

American  

[uh-par-uhl] / əˈpær əl /

noun

1. clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.

   Synonyms:

   vesture, costume, garb, dress, clothes

2. anything that decorates or covers.

3. superficial appearance; aspect; guise.

4. Nautical. the masts, sails, anchor, etc., used to equip a vessel.

5. Ecclesiastical. a piece of embroidery, usually oblong, on certain vestments, especially on the alb or amice.

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verb (used with object)

appareled, appareling, apparelled, apparelling

1. to dress or clothe.

   Synonyms:

   array, outfit

2. to adorn; ornament.

3. Nautical. to equip (a vessel) with apparel.

apparel British  

/ əˈpærəl /

noun

1. something that covers or adorns, esp outer garments or clothing

2. nautical a vessel's gear and equipment

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verb

1. archaic (tr) to clothe, adorn, etc

Other Word Forms

• overappareled adjective
• unappareled adjective
• well-appareled adjective
• well-apparelled adjective

Etymology

Origin of apparel

1200–50; Middle English appareillen < Old French apareillier to make fit, fit out < Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, equivalent to ap- ap- ¹ + *paricul ( us ) a fit ( par ¹ -cule ¹ ) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix

Explanation

Apparel is just another word for what you wear. Hopefully the apparel you wear to work — suits and heels — is very different from the apparel you wear on the weekends — pajama pants and bunny slippers. The noun apparel got its start from the Latin apparare, meaning to “prepare, make ready,” or ad-particulare, meaning “to put things together.” In the mid 13th century it evolved into a verb meaning “to equip.” It wasn’t until the next century that people began to use apparel as both a verb meaning “to attire” and as a noun meaning garments or clothing. Said 17th century British writer Thomas Fuller, “…Apparel shapes: but it's money that finishes the man.”

Example Sentences

As a result, it gives more weight to food, apparel, and transportation, while giving less weight to housing, medical care, and recreation.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Since the middle of February, visits to grocery stores, big-box superstores and discount stores have been outpacing consumer visits to places like apparel, electronics, department stores and home-improvement stores, Hottovy said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The updated outlook comes after the apparel company logged higher profit and 14% revenue growth in its latest quarter, driven by growth across channels, regions and categories.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The Japanese apparel retailer said Thursday that Uniqlo’s profits grew across various regions for the six months ended February, driven by store openings in places like Antwerp in Belgium and Frankfurt and Munich in Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

But then the Price-Rite store in Anacortes canceled its weekly quarter-page advertisement; then Lottie Opsvig’s apparel shop on Main Street, then Larsen’s Lumberyard and the Anacortes Cafe.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Related Words

• dress
• equipment
• garment
• gear