wear

Compared meaning: items of clothing (noun).

比较义项：服装、衣物（名词）。

• wear 本词

  As a noun, wear almost always appears in fixed compounds or set phrases naming a category of clothing (sportswear, formal wear, menswear), sounding formal or retail-like, and rarely stands alone as a general word for clothes.

  wear 作名词时几乎只出现在固定复合词或搭配中（如 sportswear、formal wear、menswear），指某一类服装，语气偏正式或类似商业用语，很少单独使用来泛指衣物。

  The store's top floor sells formal wear for weddings and other special occasions.

  这家商店的顶层出售用于婚礼等特殊场合的正装。

• clothing

  The ordinary, everyday uncountable noun for any clothes; it is used freely on its own, without needing a compound or set phrase, in both spoken and written contexts.

  clothing 是日常最常用的不可数名词，泛指任何衣物；无论口语还是书面语都可以单独使用，不需要搭配成复合词。

  She donated her old clothing to a local charity shop.

  她把旧衣服捐给了当地的一家慈善商店。

Both words can mean clothes. Wear as a noun almost always appears in fixed compounds, like 'sportswear', and sounds formal. Clothing is the everyday word, used freely for clothes in general. Not compared: wear as a verb, and wear's 'damage from use' sense.

这两个词在这个义项上意思相近，都指衣物，但 wear 作名词时几乎只出现在固定搭配或复合词中（如 sportswear、formal wear），语气偏正式，很少单独使用；clothing 是日常常用词，可以单独使用，泛指所有衣物。这里不比较 wear 作动词表示「穿」的用法，也不比较 wear 表示「磨损」的名词义项（如 wear and tear）。