civilian clothes
Americanplural noun
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everyday or ordinary clothing, as distinguished from a military uniform.
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Informal. ordinary clothing as distinguished from a uniform, clerical garb, or work clothes.
Etymology
Origin of civilian clothes
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
Machado said a group of heavily armed men in civilian clothes seized Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, in the Los Chorros district of Caracas.
From Barron's
But the donning of civilian clothes may not be entirely sincere, according to some analysts.
From BBC
He has discarded his uniform for civilian clothes.
From BBC
The 18 Cambodian soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes, were greeted by well-wishers as they were escorted over a border checkpoint and handed to the Cambodian authorities.
From BBC
He repeats the tall tales, and he sympathizes with their struggles with wanderlust and the challenge of finding civilian clothes that fit and are affordable.
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.
