clothes [noun] [de kleren] [‘klee-run’]

There is actually a singular form of "kleren", that is "kleer", but you will only see it in compounds (see Related words). In such compounds, "kleer" can also be replaced by "kleren".

The closely related word "kleding" translates to "clothing" and it’s application is similar to that of "clothing".

Examples:
– "De nieuwe kleren van de keizer."
("The emperor’s new clothes.")

– "Ik ga dit weekend nieuwe kleren kopen, het is uitverkoop!"
("I’m going to buy new clothes this weekend, it’s sale!")

– "Ik ga de was doen. Heb jij nog kleren die gewassen moeten worden?"
("I’m going to do the laundry. Do you have any clothes that need to be washed?")

– "Het is niet verplicht om nette kleren te dragen."
("It is not mandatory to wear smart clothes.")

– "Mijn klerenkast puilt uit met kleren!"
("My wardrobe is bulging with clothes!")

Expressions:
– "Dat gaat je niet in je koude kleren zitten": a thing like that gets to you / will leave a mark on you. Do the literal translation yourself 🙂
– "Kleren maken de man": the tailor makes the man.
– "Iemand de kleren van het lijf vragen": literally "ask somebody the clothes of his/her body", used for excessive/nosy questioning by somebody but not necessarily negative.
– "Makkelijk uit de kleren gaan": to be easy (sexually), literally "to go out the clothes easily".

Related words:
– "Klerenkast": wardrobe, closet. Lit.: "clothes closet". Note that this word is also informally used for over-muscular men, typically bouncers or male gym/fitness fanatics.
– "Kleerkast": see "klerenkast".
– "Garderobekast": fancier word for "klerenkast" ("garderobe" translates to "wardrobe").
– "Kleertjes": plural diminutive of "kleer" used for baby/toddler clothes.
– "Kleding": clothing.
– "Kleermaker": tailor.
– "Kleer/klerenhanger": coat/clothes hanger.

Extra:
You might hear Dutch people say "klere" as an adjective. This has nothing to do with clothes and is actually a term of abuse used in compounds. It is a synonym for "kolere" or "cholera".