wardrobe
gb/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/ us/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
A2
English
~ 9100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Tall furniture for storing clothes
A tall cupboard with doors where you keep and hang your clothes.
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] wardrobe in [a room]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "wardrobe" and "closet". In British English, "wardrobe" usually means a piece of furniture, while "closet" is less common. In American English, "closet" usually means a built-in space in the wall, and "wardrobe" is more often a separate piece of furniture. Also, do not say *"I have many wardrobes"* when you mean you have a lot of clothes; that meaning is covered by a different sense of "wardrobe".
Synonyms
closet (More common in American English and often built into the wall, but functionally similar as a place to store clothes.)
|
armoire (A large, often decorative wardrobe, sometimes with a more old-fashioned or elegant feel.)
Antonyms
open clothes rack (Stores clothes without enclosing them behind doors, the opposite of a closed cupboard-style wardrobe.)
Collocations
built-in wardrobe
|fitted wardrobe
|walk-in wardrobe
|wardrobe door
|wardrobe space
|inside the wardrobe
Themes
home
|daily life
|housing
|clothing
|daily_life
Examples
- We’re thinking of putting a large wardrobe in the guest room.
- She opened the wardrobe and chose a blue dress for the party.
- The new apartment doesn’t have much wardrobe space, so we bought extra storage boxes.
- He hid the birthday presents at the back of the wardrobe.
- The fitted wardrobe runs all along one wall of the bedroom.
Learner examples
- I keep my shirts in the wardrobe.
- There is a big wardrobe next to my bed.
- He opened the wardrobe and took out his jacket.
- We have a small wardrobe in our room.
- She bought a new wardrobe for her clothes.
Noun
B1
entity
2
All the clothes someone owns
All the clothes that a person has and wears, especially for a season, job, or style.
Usage pattern:
someone's [season/purpose] wardrobe
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "wardrobe" to talk about a single outfit, for example *"I like your wardrobe today"*. This is incorrect; use "outfit" for one set of clothes that you wear at one time, and "wardrobe" for all your clothes together. Also, this sense is usually singular: "my wardrobe"; the plural "wardrobes" is rare and normally sounds like you are talking about different complete collections in different situations.
Synonyms
clothing collection (More explicit and slightly more formal; clearly describes the idea but is used less in everyday speech.)
|
clothes (More general and common; refers to garments but does not strongly suggest the idea of a planned or coordinated set.)
Antonyms
nudity (Refers to having no clothes, the opposite of having a set of clothes to wear.)
Collocations
summer wardrobe
|winter wardrobe
|work wardrobe
|update your wardrobe
|basic wardrobe
|build a wardrobe
Themes
fashion
|daily life
|clothing
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- I’m trying to build a small, high-quality wardrobe instead of buying cheap clothes.
- Her work wardrobe is mostly made up of neutral-colored suits and blouses.
- After losing weight, he had to replace almost his entire wardrobe.
- She’s putting together a capsule wardrobe for her three-month trip.
- Bright colours have really transformed his wardrobe this year.
Learner examples
- I want to change my wardrobe and buy new clothes.
- Her summer wardrobe is full of light dresses.
- He has a simple wardrobe for work: two shirts and two pairs of pants.
- My wardrobe is small, but I like every piece.
- She updated her wardrobe because she started a new job.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Costume department in productions
The group of people in a theatre, movie, or TV show who plan, make, and look after the clothes that actors wear.
Usage pattern:
the wardrobe department of [a show/film]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "wardrobe" always means furniture or personal clothes and not realize it can also mean a professional costume department. In this sense, "wardrobe" is almost always used with another noun, like "wardrobe department," "wardrobe team," or as a place name: "I’m going to wardrobe."
Synonyms
costume department (Very close in meaning and common in film and theatre; clearly focuses on costumes rather than everyday clothes.)
Collocations
wardrobe department
|wardrobe assistant
|wardrobe supervisor
|wardrobe stylist
|wardrobe budget
|in wardrobe
Themes
entertainment
|work
|arts_entertainment
|clothing
Examples
- She works in the wardrobe department for a major television series.
- The wardrobe team spent weeks designing the period costumes.
- Actors must return all costumes to wardrobe after each performance.
- The wardrobe supervisor approved the final look for the main character.
- Due to budget cuts, wardrobe had to reuse costumes from last season.
Learner examples
- He got a job in the wardrobe department at the local theatre.
- The wardrobe team chose the clothes for every actor.
- She is talking to wardrobe about her dress for the show.
- Please take this costume back to wardrobe after the scene.
- Wardrobe is very busy before the first night of the play.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wardrobe
IPA
GB/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
US/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
Syllables & stress
ward - robe (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ward)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: wardrobe
- Plural: wardrobes
Word family
Forms
wardrobes
noun
Related words
closet
noun A2
Expressions
built-in wardrobe
1/bˈɪlt ˈɪn wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
fixed phrase
Wardrobe fixed into the wall
A wardrobe that is part of the wall of a room and cannot be moved like normal furniture.
Examples
- The bedroom has two built-in wardrobes along one wall.
- We decided to add built-in wardrobes to increase storage space.
- Older houses often do not have built-in wardrobes, so people buy freestanding ones.
walk-in wardrobe
1/wˈɔk ˈɪn wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
fixed phrase
Room-sized wardrobe you enter
A small room or large space for clothes that you can walk into, usually with rails and shelves for storage.
Examples
- Their new house has a huge walk-in wardrobe off the main bedroom.
- She always dreamed of having a walk-in wardrobe for her shoes and bags.
- They turned the spare room into a walk-in wardrobe.
wardrobe malfunction
1/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb mælfˈʌŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
Accidental public clothing failure
An accident when clothes break, slip, or move in a way that shows a part of the body you did not want to show, usually in public.
Examples
- The singer laughed off her wardrobe malfunction and continued performing.
- The photo went viral after the actor had a minor wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet.
- Stylists work hard to make sure their clients avoid any wardrobe malfunctions during live events.
wardrobe staple
1/wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb stˈeɪpəl/
fixed phrase
Basic clothing item you always need
A simple clothing item that is very useful and that many people keep and wear often, because it goes with many other clothes.
Examples
- A white T‑shirt is a classic wardrobe staple.
- Black jeans have become one of her wardrobe staples.
- Fashion writers often list their top wardrobe staples for each season.
capsule wardrobe
1/kˈæpsəl wˈɔɹdɹˌoʊb/
fixed phrase
small versatile clothing collection
A small number of clothes that all go well together and can make many different outfits.
Examples
- She’s trying to create a capsule wardrobe so she can travel with only one suitcase.
- She created a capsule wardrobe of about thirty pieces for the whole year.
- A good capsule wardrobe focuses on simple, high‑quality pieces you can mix and match.
- A good capsule wardrobe can save time and money when getting dressed.
- The article explains how to build a capsule wardrobe for the office.
- Many fashion blogs give advice on how to build a capsule wardrobe for work.