soiled clothing

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Clothes that have become dirty, especially with bodily fluids, food, or other stains.

   Grammar: Uncountable; it refers to clothing in general, not to individual items. To talk about one item, say 'a soiled shirt' or 'a piece of soiled clothing'.

   Patterns

   • soiled clothing
   • remove soiled clothing
   • place soiled clothing in something

   The nurse changed the patient's soiled clothing and made him comfortable.

   Please put any soiled clothing in the plastic bag provided.

   After gardening, he left his soiled clothing outside the back door.

2. 2noununcountablemedical

   Clothing that has been dirtied, especially as a result of an accident or illness, often needing special handling.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often used in care or medical instructions.

   Patterns

   • handle soiled clothing
   • wash soiled clothing separately
   • dispose of soiled clothing

   Staff must wear gloves when handling soiled clothing.

   Soiled clothing should be washed at a high temperature to kill germs.

   The care home has a policy for dealing with soiled clothing.

Common combinations

soiled clothing

The soiled clothing was placed in a laundry bin.

remove soiled clothing

First, remove soiled clothing and check for injuries.

wash soiled clothing

Wash soiled clothing separately from other items.

bag of soiled clothing

She handed the bag of soiled clothing to the nurse.

soiled clothing and linen

The hospital collects soiled clothing and linen every morning.

Synonyms and how they differ

dirty clothes

Dirty clothes is the everyday, informal phrase; soiled clothing sounds more formal or clinical and often suggests stains from bodily fluids.

laundry

Laundry can mean clothes that need washing, whether dirty or just used; soiled clothing specifically means clothes that are dirty or stained.

Opposites

Word family

soil verb

To make something dirty, especially with a stain or mark.

soiled adjective

Dirty or stained.

Commonly confused: soiled clothing or soiled linens?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “soiled clothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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