plaid
Americannoun
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any fabric woven of differently colored yarns in a crossbarred pattern.
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a pattern of this kind.
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a long, rectangular piece of cloth, usually with such a pattern and worn across the left shoulder by Scottish Highlanders.
adjective
noun
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a long piece of cloth of a tartan pattern, worn over the shoulder as part of Highland costume
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a crisscross weave or cloth
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( as modifier )
a plaid scarf
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of plaid
1505–15; < Scots Gaelic plaide blanket, plaid plaid ( def. 3 )
Explanation
Plaid describes the crisscross pattern found on a Scottish kilt or a punk rocker’s pants. It can be a kind of cloth woven with the design, or a name for the design itself. Fashion-wise, it’s a bold but versatile pattern. Plaid is traditionally made from wool or flannel with a multi-colored tartan design — in other words, a pattern of vertical and horizontal bands of color. These days, every kind of clothing is available in plaid, from socks to skirts to scarves. In English-speaking countries other than the US, plaid is more likely to be called tartan, in fact. In Scotland, a plaid is actually a traditional blanket-like garment, and in Gaelic, plaide means "blanket."
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.
See Examples For:
For many, private school evokes images of elite academies, manicured campuses and plaid Catholic-school uniforms.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Floating into her new school on a bubble of positivity that will stubbornly refuse to burst, Elle is a spot of color in a sea of black and plaid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Tartan and plaid are having a moment," says fashion stylist and writer Alexandra Fullerton.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Kiffin, wearing a plaid top that appeared stolen from the Brady Bunch wardrobe closet, softened the tone of his departing statement, now saying he respected Ole Miss’s decision to exclude him from playoff coaching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Mami bought me a red plaid wool jumper with a crisp white shirt, my first pair of stockings, and penny loafers.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
The Ramones had songs based on “Saturday Night,” and they dressed in the tartan plaids of Queens, which is the black leather jackets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
Newsboy caps, button-down vests and a predominance of subtle plaids recalled "Peaky Blinders", while pocket watch chains consolidated the 1920s feel.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
There are also many things it isn’t: no bright green garlands, no mixing of plaids in the same room, and no gift bags under the tree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Come for the messy, backstabbing celebrities, but stay for Alan Cumming's show-stopping plaids.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025
She was wearing an outfit of red plaids, lavender stripes, and aqua polka dots that she had matched herself.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.