attire

1 of 2

verb

at·​tire ə-ˈtī(-ə)r 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• dress
• clothe
• costume
• gown
• apparel
• garment

Noun

• clothing
• clothes
• dress
• garments
• apparel
• wear

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

His image was captured on a trail camera mounted in the driveway, attired in camouflage, an AR-15-style semiautomatic assault rifle strapped to his chest. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025

Ellen returns to Beltane and dons her May Queen attire and performs her duties alongside Malcolm at the fire ceremony. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Noun

Once primarily associated with suits and boardroom attire, the slim trouser took on a more seductive and idiosyncratic attitude this season on the runways of trendsetting brands like Prada, Dries Van Noten, and Khaite. —Christina Holevas, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025

This year also showed a European side resplendent in classic formal attire, while the Americans did not bother with neck ties and opted for white sneakers. —Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for attire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

attire

1 of 2 verb

at·​tire ə-ˈtī(ə)r 

attired; attiring

: to put clothes and especially special or fine clothes on

attire

2 of 2 noun

: clothing sense 1

especially : fine clothes