toga
Americannoun
plural
togas, togae-
(in ancient Rome) the loose outer garment worn by citizens in public.
-
a robe of office, a professorial gown, or some other distinctive garment.
noun
-
a garment worn by citizens of ancient Rome, consisting of a piece of cloth draped around the body
-
the official vestment of certain offices
Other Word Forms
- togaed adjective
- untogaed adjective
Etymology
Origin of toga
1590–1600; < Latin; akin to tegmen
Explanation
A toga is the draped, dress-like garment worn by men in ancient Rome. Today, businessmen wear suits and ties, but thousands of years ago, the business suit of Rome was a toga. The "toga party" is practically a rite of passage in college. What could be more fun than dressing in a drapy, one-piece, off-the-shoulder tunic like they did in ancient Rome, while chugging beer and acting like an idiot. Frankly, it's hard to understand what the toga adds to the party. Is it more fun to get drunk in a weird, ancient half-dress than it is to get drunk in your own pants and shirt? The statue of Julius Caesar shows him wearing his toga, but much of it is hidden under his armored chest-plate.
Vocabulary lists containing toga
Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 1–2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its stitched-together scenes—frat pledge party, dining hall food fight, toga party, horse in Dean Wormer’s office, homecoming parade—were individually hilarious and held together only by the individual characters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Others have stated that an ounce of gold was enough to buy a good toga in Roman times and is enough to buy a man’s suit today.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025
An oversized floral print on a draped toga dress seemed to capture the Beatles’ psychedelic era, almost transporting wearers to London’s Camden vintage shops.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023
Encima de la chimenea hay una foto de su hijo Calvin con toga y birrete, sonriendo para la foto de su graduación en UC Irvine.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2023
On a piece of warped wood, I saw a faded painting of an old man in a toga.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
