cross-dressing

1 of 2

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

cross-dress

2 of 2

intransitive verb

¦krȯs-¦dres

: to dress in clothes designed for the opposite sex

cross-dresser

¦krȯs-¦dre-sər

noun

Examples of cross-dressing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That cross-dressing comedy was famously out of control even for Pollack, with a star (Dustin Hoffman) who was as much a sparring partner as a collaborator and a script in constant flux. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 14 July 2026

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is divorcing her husband, according to her mother, after allegations that her husband was cross-dressing and talking to online fetish models. — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 10 July 2026

Fiona Sampson’s new book, Becoming George, is a biography of the cross-dressing 19th-century writer George Sand. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 8 July 2026

In Chinese opera, there is the cross-dressing figure of the dan. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Intransitive verb

cross entry 5

First Known Use

Noun

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