Definition of "pleat" []

• A fold in cloth made by doubling the material upon itself and then pressing or stitching it into place. (noun)
• To press or arrange in pleats: pleat a skirt; pleat curtains. (verb-transitive)

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.

• "The pleat is the signature of the Perry Ellis fashion house, dating back to the 1980s, when the shirt style was a hip status symbol."
• "I couldn't tell the difference between a "pleat" and the two things you keep between them."
• "The collection has the soft and flowing look, such as pleat skirt, frill shirt, winged halter dress, one-shoulder dress and hooded tunic smoothed on the waist."