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

The Grammy-winning artist appeared at Madrid’s Gran Vía to reveal the official album artwork, a photograph of her in nuns attire against a baby-blue backdrop. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025

The secret venue, lighting and ambience are supplied by host Triple Pocket Events, but diners, attired entirely in white, must supply their own picnic meal, white tables, chairs, cloths, dishware, cutlery and French wine and champagne. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025

Noun

The two-time Oscar-winning actress turned to creative director Nicolas Ghesquière‘s latest designs for her red carpet attire, wearing a look from the French luxury fashion house’s spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025

All sorts of ideas for Halloween pet attire are out there, including an online photo of a dog dressed as a mop sitting in one of those yellow janitor buckets with wheels. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 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