garde-robe
/ɡaʁ.d(ə).ʁɔb/feminine
In French, 'wardrobe' can be translated as garde-robe or armoire.
Meaning: movable furniture for storing clothes (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| garde-robe | /ɡaʁ.d(ə).ʁɔb/ | feminine |
| armoire | /aʁ.mwaʁ/ | feminine |
Use garde-robe when you are talking about a person's entire collection of clothing. Use armoire when you are referring specifically to the physical piece of furniture.
What does it mean word for word?
The term garde-robe is a compound word consisting of garde, meaning to keep or guard and robe, meaning a dress or robe.
Which one should you use?
While garde-robe can refer to the piece of furniture itself or to a person's entire collection of clothes, armoire refers strictly to the large, freestanding piece of furniture used for storage, similar to a cupboard.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both garde-robe and armoire are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of garde-robe is /ɡaʁ.d(ə).ʁɔb/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word armoire actually has its roots in the Latin word arma, which refers to weapons or tools. Originally, the piece of furniture was intended to store an individual's armor and combat gear rather than clothing.
- Historically, the garde-robe was a small room adjacent to the bedroom in French castles used for dressing and storage.
- In a theatrical context, a garde-robe refers specifically to the costume department or the area where actors' costumes are managed.
Examples in context
- L'armoire se trouvait à gauche de la porte.The wardrobe stood to the left of the door.This sentence shows the location of the armoire.Tatoeba #10911292 by Lumpawurump, translation #6160514 by sundown
- Elle choisit une robe bleue dans la garde-robe.She selected a blue dress from the wardrobe.This sentence describes selecting a dress from a garde-robe.Tatoeba #331065 by TRANG, translation #317337 by CM
- Les déménageurs soulèvent une armoire lourde pour la mettre dans le camion de déménagement.The removal men are heaving a heavy wardrobe into the removal van.This sentence describes movers lifting a heavy armoire.Tatoeba #9975041 by lbdx, translation #6174462 by sundown
- J'ai rangé mes vêtements dans mon armoireI put my clothes away in my wardrobe
- J'ai trouvé une jolie robe dans ma penderieI found a beautiful dress in my wardrobe
- Elle a un dressing impressionnant rempli de vêtementsShe has an impressive dressing room filled with clothes
- J'ai rangé mes chaussures dans le placardI put my shoes away in the wardrobe
- Elle a une garde-robe très éléganteShe has a very elegant wardrobe
- J'ai acheté de nouvelles fringues pour ma garde-robeI bought some new clothes for my wardrobe
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are organizing a new bedroom.
- LéaOù veux-tu placer la garde-robe ?Where do you want to place the wardrobe?
- GabrielMets-la contre le mur, Léa.Put it against the wall, Léa.
- LéaElle est trop grande pour cet endroit.It is too big for this spot.
- GabrielOn peut déplacer la garde-robe alors.We can move the wardrobe then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wardrobe” translations and entries garde-robe, armoire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries armoire, garde-robe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
