Meaning & use
item of clothing
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Meaning
nouncountable
One single thing that a person wears on the body, such as a shirt, a skirt or a pair of socks.
Grammar: Countable even though clothing is not: one item of clothing, three items of clothing.
Patterns
- an item of clothing for someone
- every item of clothing
Please label every item of clothing before you send your child to camp.
She bought one item of clothing at the sale, a red scarf.
Airport staff asked him to remove each heavy item of clothing for the scan.
Word forms
| plural | items of clothing |
|---|
Common combinations
- a favorite item of clothing
- His old denim jacket was his favorite item of clothing.
- remove an item of clothing
- You may need to remove an item of clothing in the hot room.
- lost item of clothing
- The lost item of clothing turned out to be under the sofa.
- essential item of clothing
- Waterproof boots are an essential item of clothing on this hike.
- every item of clothing
- They washed every item of clothing after the flood.
Synonyms and how they differ
- garment
- Garment is a more formal word for one piece of clothing and is common in shops and manufacturing.
- article of clothing
- Article of clothing means the same but sounds a little more official, as in lists or rules.
- piece of clothing
- Piece of clothing is the everyday, relaxed version and is just as correct in conversation.
- clothes
- Clothes is a plural noun for what someone wears overall, so it cannot refer to just one piece.
Word family
Commonly confused: item of clothing or cloth?
item of clothing vs cloth
Cloth is the fabric material itself, while an item of clothing is a finished thing you wear.
Practice
The suitcase held only one ______ and a toothbrush.
Choose one answer.
'One item of clothing' is the natural countable phrase. 'Clothings' is wrong because clothing is uncountable, and 'item of cloth' means a piece of fabric.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “item of clothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.