A garment is a piece of clothing, like a shirt, dress, pants, or jacket. When you get dressed in the morning, each item you put on is a garment. A winter coat is a garment. A school uniform is made up of several garments worn together. Even a simple T-shirt counts as a garment.

The word sounds formal because it's often used in contexts where people talk about clothing seriously, like fashion design, manufacturing, or historical discussions. A clothing store might advertise “quality garments,” and a costume designer creates garments for actors to wear on stage. Museums display historical garments to show how people dressed in different eras.

You might hear someone say they're searching for “the perfect garment” for a special occasion, which just means they're looking for the right piece of clothing. While we usually say “clothes” or “outfit” in everyday conversation, garment is useful when you want to talk about a single, specific item of clothing or discuss clothing in a more thoughtful way.