cross-dressing

noun

cross-dress·​ing ˈkrȯs-ˌdre-siŋ 

: the wearing of clothes designed for the opposite sex

cross-dress

ˈkrȯs-ˌdres 

intransitive verb

cross-dresser

ˈkrȯs-ˌdre-sər 

noun

Examples of cross-dressing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For a long time, this has included forms of cross-dressing and gender play, not as identity, but as performance, as part of a tradition that allows, briefly, for social boundaries to loosen. — Vogue, 1 June 2026

The spark for Dhont came with encountering a simple black-and-white photo of a soldier cross-dressing just behind enemy lines. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026

Among the quips, Thompson’s Barkley tossed in the war in Iran, a cross-dressing political spouse, and the ongoing Artemis II mission to orbit the moon. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2026

But then she was caught cross-dressing, got fired, and decided to emigrate. — Valeria Luiselli, New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cross-dressing

• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing
• distressing
• expressing
• hairdressing
• impressing
• obsessing

Kids Definition

cross-dressing

noun

cross-dress·​ing

ˈkrȯs-ˌdres-iŋ

: the wearing of clothes made for the opposite sex

cross-dresser

-ər

noun