dressed; dressing; dresses
1
a
: to make or set straight
b
: to arrange (troops, equipment, etc.) in a straight line and at proper intervals
2
: to prepare for use or service
specifically
: to prepare for cooking or for the table
dress a salad
3
: to add decorative details or accessories to : embellish
4
a
: to put clothes on
dress a child
b
: to provide with clothing
feed and dress a growing family
5
archaic
: dress down
6
a
: to apply dressings or medicaments to
dress a wound
b(1)
: to arrange (the hair) by combing, brushing, or curling
(2)
: to groom and curry (an animal)
c
: to kill and prepare for market or for consumption
—often used with out
e
: to put through a finishing process
especially
: to trim and smooth the surface of (a material, such as lumber or stone)
1
a
: to put on clothing
b
: to put on or wear formal, elaborate, or fancy clothes
dress for dinner
2
of a food animal
: to weigh after being dressed
—often used with out
3
: to align oneself with the next soldier in a line to make the line straight
1
: suitable for a formal occasion
dress clothes
dress shoes
2
: requiring or permitting formal dress
a dress affair
3
: relating to or used for a dress
dress material
Synonyms
Examples of dress in a Sentence
Verb
They dressed themselves in a hurry.
He dressed the child in a snowsuit.
She showered, dressed, and ate breakfast.
She dressed warmly for skiing.
She is dressing for the opera.
They always dress for dinner.
The nurse dressed the cut on my knee.
Noun
She wore dresses only on special occasions.
She wore a short black dress to the party.
Her wedding dress was decorated with lace.
The guests were clothed in traditional Indian dress.
It is wise to wear conservative dress to an interview.
Adjective
I wore dress pants and a nice sweater.
the naval commander wore his dress uniform to the ball
Recent Examples on the Web
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
But facing a UConn team that dressed only eight players and played seven, USC chipped away.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
For example, the Wilsons dressed in white and pastel colors to watch horses, play with a life-size Easter bunny and go on a traditional egg hunt.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
Friends dressed for an evening out stop to ask what’s up there.
—Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
As usual Kylie Kelce remained loyal to her husband’s former football team by dressing in an Eagles T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of Nikes with a green swoop.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
And so the video of him dressed as Michael Myers walking up the aisle and bringing the ring got millions of views.
—Daniel Scheffler, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2024
The Mass was filled with children dressed in pastels, choir music and lots of incense.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
Both Lovato and their musician boyfriend dressed in all-black for the special occasion, donning baggy, oversize blazers for the birthday dinner.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 3 Apr. 2024
Dunst, 41, dazzled in a black dress and silver accessories.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The campaign, shot by photographer pair Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott with styling by Jacob K, finds the two wearing pieces from the new line including a leather dress and denim bustier for Hathaway, and a trench and tailored suiting on Murphy.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
The sleek cut is made even more appealing thanks to the lightweight, ultra-soft fabric, plus the dress comes in 19 springy colors and patterns to amp up your wardrobe for under $50.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
And as the exhibition and her photographic journey comes to a close, Faustine wears a white dress and a straw hat, posing with her back facing the audience, in images taken at Shelter Island — where a plantation enslaved Africans and Native Americans from 1651 until 1820 — and Staten Island.
—Briana Ellis-Gibbs, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Two brides in white dresses smile at each other standing at the altar, as their hands meld together into an ungodly finger clump.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Princess Anne, meanwhile, opted for a coat dress in mint green with a matching feather fascinator.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2024
Posing for pictures beside his bride-to-be, the Bullet Train actor wore a black overcoat and black dress pants.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2022
And within the summer maxi dress umbrella are options for every style and aesthetic; there’s one to delight no matter your style—even a few for the non-dress girls!
—Madeline Fass, Vogue, 4 May 2021
That's the case even if the job does not require dress clothes.
—Daniel B. Kline, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2017
Dress code controversies are nothing new, especially in the era of social media.
—Rafael Guerrero, chicagotribune.com, 29 Aug. 2017
Factor in alterations: Dress alterations can be costly, so talk to your salon about their policy in advance.
—Emily Valla, idahostatesman, 21 July 2017
Dress-code-busting aside, these are some excellent, just-DGAF-enough outfits.
—Megan Gustashaw, GQ, 13 July 2017
Dress code double standards not only can make summer unbearable but also serve to police people's gender expression.
—Suzannah Weiss, Glamour, 23 June 2017
Dress Meets Body collection, which is set in a large funnel-like space with a video of Merce Cunningham’s dancers performing in the clothing by viewers’ feet.
—Steff Yotka, Vogue, 1 May 2017
Verb
Both women also shared photos with Rolling Stone of themselves with Nelson in years past, showing Nelson evidently living the life of the average American teenager: hanging out at the mall, going bowling, using makeup, dressing in costumes, and taking silly selfies with Snapchat filters.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
But facing a UConn team that dressed only eight players and played seven, USC chipped away.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
For example, the Wilsons dressed in white and pastel colors to watch horses, play with a life-size Easter bunny and go on a traditional egg hunt.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
Friends dressed for an evening out stop to ask what’s up there.
—Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
As usual Kylie Kelce remained loyal to her husband’s former football team by dressing in an Eagles T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of Nikes with a green swoop.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
And so the video of him dressed as Michael Myers walking up the aisle and bringing the ring got millions of views.
—Daniel Scheffler, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2024
The Mass was filled with children dressed in pastels, choir music and lots of incense.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
Both Lovato and their musician boyfriend dressed in all-black for the special occasion, donning baggy, oversize blazers for the birthday dinner.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
Then there was the undefined femininity of baby doll dresses with a t-shirt underneath or cropped cardigans with pleated skirts—think Cher Horowitz in Clueless or Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 3 Apr. 2024
Dunst, 41, dazzled in a black dress and silver accessories.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The campaign, shot by photographer pair Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott with styling by Jacob K, finds the two wearing pieces from the new line including a leather dress and denim bustier for Hathaway, and a trench and tailored suiting on Murphy.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
The sleek cut is made even more appealing thanks to the lightweight, ultra-soft fabric, plus the dress comes in 19 springy colors and patterns to amp up your wardrobe for under $50.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
And as the exhibition and her photographic journey comes to a close, Faustine wears a white dress and a straw hat, posing with her back facing the audience, in images taken at Shelter Island — where a plantation enslaved Africans and Native Americans from 1651 until 1820 — and Staten Island.
—Briana Ellis-Gibbs, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Two brides in white dresses smile at each other standing at the altar, as their hands meld together into an ungodly finger clump.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Princess Anne, meanwhile, opted for a coat dress in mint green with a matching feather fascinator.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2024
Posing for pictures beside his bride-to-be, the Bullet Train actor wore a black overcoat and black dress pants.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
Adjective
While Gigi's mid-length dress featured a sheer corset, her sister walked down the runway in an opaque mini-dress version of the look.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2022
And within the summer maxi dress umbrella are options for every style and aesthetic; there’s one to delight no matter your style—even a few for the non-dress girls!
—Madeline Fass, Vogue, 4 May 2021
That's the case even if the job does not require dress clothes.
—Daniel B. Kline, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2017
Dress code controversies are nothing new, especially in the era of social media.
—Rafael Guerrero, chicagotribune.com, 29 Aug. 2017
Factor in alterations: Dress alterations can be costly, so talk to your salon about their policy in advance.
—Emily Valla, idahostatesman, 21 July 2017
Dress-code-busting aside, these are some excellent, just-DGAF-enough outfits.
—Megan Gustashaw, GQ, 13 July 2017
Dress code double standards not only can make summer unbearable but also serve to police people's gender expression.
—Suzannah Weiss, Glamour, 23 June 2017
Dress Meets Body collection, which is set in a large funnel-like space with a video of Merce Cunningham’s dancers performing in the clothing by viewers’ feet.
—Steff Yotka, Vogue, 1 May 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dress.' 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
Middle English, from Anglo-French drescer, dresser to direct, put right, from Vulgar Latin *directiare, from Latin directus direct, past participle of dirigere to direct, from dis- + regere to lead straight — more at right
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of dress was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing dress
Articles Related to dress
Dictionary Entries Near dress
Cite this Entry
“Dress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
dress
1 of 3 verb1
: to make or set straight
2
a
: to put clothes on
b
: to provide with clothing
c
: to put on or wear formal or fancy clothes
3
: to trim or decorate for display
4
: to put in order
5
a
: to apply dressings or medicine to
dress a wound
b
: to arrange (as the hair) by combing, brushing, or curling
d
: to kill and prepare for market
dress a chicken
e
: to apply manure or fertilizer to
dress
2 of 3 noun1
2
: an outer garment with a skirt for a woman or child
3
: clothing appropriate to a particular time or occasion
Roman dress
evening dress
dress
3 of 3 adjective1
: suitable or required for a formal occasion
dress clothes
2
: relating to or used for a dress
More from Merriam-Webster on dress
Nglish: Translation of dress for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dress for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dress
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