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dress
[dres]
noun
an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
Synonyms:clothing; apparel; garb.
The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
Synonyms: , , , , , ,formal attire.
a particular form of appearance; guise.
outer covering, as the plumage of birds.
adjective
of or for a dress or dresses.
of or for a formal occasion.
requiring formal dress.
verb (used with object)
to put clothing upon.
Synonyms: , ,to put formal or evening clothes on.
to trim; ornament; adorn.
to dress a store window; to dress a Christmas tree.
to design clothing for or sell clothes to.
to comb out and do up (hair).
to cut up, trim, and remove the skin, feathers, viscera, etc., from (an animal, meat, fowl, or flesh of a fowl) for market or for cooking (often followed by out when referring to a large animal).
We dressed three chickens for the dinner. He dressed out the deer when he got back to camp.
to prepare (skins, fabrics, timber, stone, ore, etc.) by special processes.
to apply medication or a dressing to (a wound or sore).
to make straight; bring (troops) into line.
to dress ranks.
to make (stone, wood, or other building material) smooth.
to cultivate (land, fields, etc.).
Theater.to arrange (a stage) by effective placement of properties, scenery, actors, etc.
to ornament (a vessel) with ensigns, house flags, code flags, etc..
The bark was dressed with masthead flags only.
Angling.
to prepare or bait (a fishhook) for use.
to prepare (bait, especially an artificial fly) for use.
Printing.to fit (furniture) around and between pages in a chase prior to locking it up.
to supply with accessories, optional features, etc..
to have one's new car fully dressed.
verb (used without object)
to clothe or attire oneself; put on one's clothes.
Wake up and dress, now!
to put on or wear formal or fancy clothes.
to dress for dinner.
to come into line, as troops.
to align oneself with the next soldier, marcher, dancer, etc., in line.
verb phrase
to reprimand; scold.
to thrash; beat.
to dress informally or less formally.
to dress down for the shipboard luau.
to put on one's best or fanciest clothing; dress relatively formally.
They were dressed up for the Easter parade.
to dress in costume or in another person's clothes.
to dress up in Victorian clothing; to dress up as Marie Antoinette.
to embellish or disguise, especially in order to make more appealing or acceptable.
to dress up the facts with colorful details.
dress
/ ɛ /
verb
to put clothes on (oneself or another); attire
(intr)
to change one's clothes
to wear formal or evening clothes
(tr) to provide (someone) with clothing; clothe
(tr) to arrange merchandise in (a shop window) for effective display
(tr) to comb out or arrange (the hair) into position
(tr) to apply protective or therapeutic covering to (a wound, sore, etc)
(tr) to prepare (food, esp fowl and fish) for cooking or serving by cleaning, trimming, gutting, etc
(tr) to put a finish on (the surface of stone, metal, etc)
(tr) to till and cultivate (land), esp by applying manure, compost, or fertilizer
(tr) to prune and trim (trees, bushes, etc)
(tr) to groom (an animal, esp a horse)
(tr) to convert (tanned hides) into leather
archaic(tr) to spay or neuter (an animal)
angling to tie (a fly)
military to bring (troops) into line or (of troops) to come into line (esp in the phrase dress ranks )
nautical to decorate a vessel by displaying all signal flags on lines run from the bow to the stern over the mast trucks
noun
a one-piece garment for a woman, consisting of a skirt and bodice
complete style of clothing; costume
formal dress
military dress
(modifier) suitable or required for a formal occasion
a dress shirt
the outer covering or appearance, esp of living things
trees in their spring dress of leaves
Other 51Թ Forms
- half-dressed adjective
- outdress verb (used with object)
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of dress1
Idioms and Phrases
dress ship,
to decorate a ship by hoisting lines of flags running its full length.
U.S. Navy. to display the national ensigns at each masthead and a larger ensign on the flagstaff.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Donya used to defy the regime and its strict dress code by going out with her hair uncovered.
The King and Queen followed convention and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order.
It is a quintessentially British tennis experience: punters dressed in their finery, Pimm's in full flow and a beautiful setting, with as much care taken of the flowers and greenery as the pristine courts.
She explained she had just finished showering and needed to get dressed, as well as wake up her kids.
A family photo from Saturday's event was shared on the same Instagram account featuring Prince William dressed in uniform, Catherine and Charlotte in blue dresses with George and Louis in suits with red ties.
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When To Use
A dress is a piece of clothing made up of a blouse and skirt in one piece.Dress can also refer to any formal attire, as in We’ve decided the wedding will be informal dress, with shorts and sneakers allowed.Dress can refer to clothing in general, especially for a specific group of people or time period, as in Men’s dress from the 1800s included top hats and greatcoats.To dress means to put clothes on or prepare for an event involving formal clothing, as in While pajamas are comfy, you do have to get dressed for school, you know.As an adjective, dress almost always refers to clothes thought to be fancy or formal, such as dress pants or dress shoes. Fancy dress usually means a costume for a ball or masquerade, however.Example: The event got cancelled right after I finished getting dressed for it.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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