This page describes uniform in the sense of clothing. For other meanings, see uniform (disambiguation).
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisation's activity.
People performing religious activities have often worn standard costumes since the dawn of recorded history. Other early examples of uniforms include the clothing of the armies of the Roman Empire and other civilizations.
Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organisations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools, and by inmates in prisons. In some countries, some other officials also wear uniforms in some of their duties; such is the case of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service or the French prefects.
In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, or some particular schools, students have to wear a uniform. See school uniform.
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Most, if not all professional sports teams also wear uniforms, comprised of the team's distinctive colours, often in different variations for "home" and "away" games.
In the case of uniforms worn by military personnel or civilian officials, there are generally several kinds of uniforms:
- battledress, khakis;
- everyday work uniform; earned medals are typically replaced by ribbons on such uniforms;
- dress uniform: worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; medals are typically worn on this one.
Prison uniforms often consist of a distinctive orange or yellow jumpsuit or a white and horizontal black zebra-striped uniform to make escape more difficult.
See also
