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Definition of "plainclothes" [plainclothes]

  • Wearing civilian clothes while on duty to avoid being identified as police or security: a plainclothes detective. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "plainclothes" in a sentence
  • "It's great that she was able to tie up Super Smize's narrative, since half of these girls would have been so confused if they just encountered her in plainclothes without an explanation."
  • "Well, Herr Barbour, go down the road in plainclothes and try to get one single black man to shake your hand and come away with a clear notion of who the untermensch is ..."
  • "They originally met in something called plainclothes school."