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 of attire

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

Photos from airports reviewed by USA TODAY from the USA TODAY Network, Reuters and Getty Images taken during the holiday travel season showed that flyers were largely attired in outfits ranging from casual to business casual. —James Powel, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025

Turkey Trot events The S3 Turkey Trot, which includes three race options, features thousands of participants attired in costumes ahead of the Nov. 27 parade. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025

Noun

But the mogul’s been able to contrast such style with edgy attire and suited styling, as featured in her Karl Lagerfeld campaign. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 Jan. 2026

The first black-tie gala and auction event took place in the new building on March 30, 1980, where 2,000 guests in Western formal attire gathered for a Willie Nelson concert. —Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026

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