attire

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

Synonyms of attire

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

Examples of attire in a Sentence

men attired in tuxedos for the awards banquet

Recent Examples on the Web

Always elegantly attired, always thirsty, never drunk. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026

The open concept and casually attired employees bear a resemblance to countless other start-ups. —Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 28 May 2026

Today he’s attired in a gray hoodie over a white T-shirt. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 6 May 2026

The mostly female attendees range from 30 years old to over 70 and are attired in outfits including cutoffs, tank tops, straw fedoras and glamorous full-length dresses. —Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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