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.

---

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

---

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 ( see 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

Instead, LIV turned into an easy punchline, ridiculed for its dismal TV ratings, its schlocky apparel and teams with beer league softball names: HiFlyers, Crushers, Majesticks, Cleeks and RangeGoats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In its trademark application, filed on Feb. 27, Nike had indicated the intention of using the logo on seemingly all types of athletic apparel, including footwear, headwear, shirts, pants, shorts and jackets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

It creates a long chain of spending on food, grooming, healthcare, apparel, toys, boarding, and services.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 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

However, to please her, I allowed Sophie to apparel her in one of her short, full muslin frocks.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• dress
• equipment
• garment
• gear