attire

1 of 2

verb

at·​tire ə-ˈtī(-ə)r How to pronounce attire (audio)
attired; attiring

transitive verb

: to put garments on : dress, array
… proceeded to attire herself for a professional visit.Charles Dickens
The guests were formally attired. [=wearing formal clothing]
especially : to clothe in fancy or rich garments
dancers attired in colorful costumes

attire

2 of 2

noun

1
: dress, clothes
business attire
especially : splendid or decorative clothing
the queen in her royal attire
2
: the antlers or antlers and scalp of a stag or buck

Examples of attire in a Sentence

Verb men attired in tuxedos for the awards banquet Noun Proper attire is required at the restaurant. needed some snazzy attire for the job interview
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
According to its founder, Gary Eastman, the business attired nearly every other character in the series, producing the brown B-3 jackets worn by Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, and others, as well as the Type A-2 horsehide and Type B-10 cotton jackets that also feature throughout the series. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024 Women were attired in an array of lovely, often sparkly, dresses or nice pants suits while almost every man had on a suit and tie, except for those wearing tuxedoes and at least one Scottish gentleman rocking a full dress kilt. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024 Pro-war culture crusaders excoriated celebrities for engaging in erotic high jinks in scanty attire at a trendy Moscow club while Russian troops died on the front. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 On one side are regally attired mullahs, the type that have protected Persia’s pre-Islamic treasures and even tweet in English. Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2015 The spry 89-year-old is otherwise sharply attired, from her neat trouser suit to the amber beads around her neck. Danielle Demetriou, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023 Sitting outside at West Hollywood’s famed Sunset Marquis hotel and nattily attired in a vibrant black and green suit, the world’s most famous drummer looks decades younger than his 83 years. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2023 The troops are attired more Silicon Valley than Wall Street in jeans or slacks (nary a suit, tie or cufflink in sight). Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023 The two military officers, crisply attired in blue dress uniforms, ascended the front porch of a single-family home. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 29 May 2023
Noun
In the decades since, bright maxi dresses, floral blouses, and skirts with punchy prints have defined Farm Rio as the ultimate vacation attire. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024 The quarter-zip sweater has become a trademark fashion accessory for the Manning brothers, who have leaned into their frequent use of the attire. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 So where exactly is a child wearing this hourglass-figure-inducing attire for not even adolescents? Melissa Willets, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 For the final night of the pre-wedding fun, Trump wore a white-and-gold dress with green and red accents, as her husband kept it simple in a gray and black look and their eldest child wore pink attire. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 As Vogue’s resident track pant-wearer, Chioma was thrilled by Undercover’s feminist take on the working woman’s attire—including hoodies with a train and glittery sweatpants and a grocery bag. Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024 The rapper and fashion mogul opted for the mysterious with his game-day attire, wearing a black zip-up jacket with a matching mask that covered his entire face. USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Their attire had a tropical flair, as Julian wore a floral button-down shirt and Geary had a flower delicately placed in her hair. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Locals dress in their finest traditional attire, with men donning the gho, a knee-length robe, and women wearing the kira, an elegant wrap-around dress. Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'attire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French atirer to equip, prepare, attire, from a- (from Latin ad-) + tire order, rank, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English tīr glory, ornament

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of attire was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near attire

Cite this Entry

“Attire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attire. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

attire

1 of 2 verb
at·​tire ə-ˈtī(ə)r How to pronounce attire (audio)
attired; attiring
: to put clothes and especially special or fine clothes on

attire

2 of 2 noun
: clothing sense 1
especially : fine clothes

More from Merriam-Webster on attire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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