couture

noun cou·ture \ kü-ˈtu̇r , -ˈtᵫr \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

1 : the business of designing, making, and selling fashionable custom-made women's clothing

the world of Paris couture

2 : the designers and establishments engaged in couture

dresses made by the couture

3 : the clothes created by couture

The actress was wearing couture.

See couture defined for English-language learners

Examples of couture in a Sentence

The book discusses the relationship between culture and couture.
I can't afford to wear couture.

Recent Examples of couture from the Web

The very first day they were challenged to a drag on a dime high fashion couture contest.

— cynthia billhartz gregorian, kansascity, "KC man goes from Bible studies to drag queen to TV stardom on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' | The Kansas City Star," 19 Apr. 2018
Galvan, Carolina Herrera, and Viktor & Rolf offered sleek, minimalist one-pieces, while Naeem Khan and Tadashi Shoji’s jumpsuits came in couture lace.

— emily farra, Vogue, "9 Bridal Trends You’re About to See on the Summer Wedding Circuit," 18 Apr. 2018
This might be the ideal draft for the Dolphins to invest in some couture players, because everything else might be played out in a season or two.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Kelly: A mediocre crop of talent hints that Dolphins should be aggressive with the 2018 draft class | Commentary," 16 Apr. 2018
The Vixen said, adding that her favorite look was when the Puerto Rican queen turned wallpaper into a couture creation for her season’s first main challenge.

— patrick crowley, Billboard, "'RuPaul's Drag Race': The Season 10 Cast Picks the Best Alumni of All Time," 4 Apr. 2018
Starring Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock, an intense and unforgiving couture dressmaker who finds — and loses — a new muse in the waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps), the film has received six Oscar nominations, including best picture.

— michael waters, The Hollywood Reporter, "Oscars: 10 Things to Know About Best Picture Nominee 'Phantom Thread'," 21 Feb. 2018
But other than Giorgio Armani, who went fur-free in 2016, Galliano is the only one who shows at couture week in Paris.

— emily farra, Vogue, "Maison Margiela’s John Galliano Is the Latest Designer to Go Fur-Free," 4 Apr. 2018
Blake wore a Chanel couture dress with strappy sandals, and Ryan went for a dapper navy suit, brown tie, and glasses for the occasion.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ryan Reynolds Brought His Mom to the Red Carpet and Our Hearts Just Exploded," 3 Apr. 2018
Some of the exposure was the payoff of ingeniously campy PR moves, like dressing Kate Moss in a couture gown glittering with glass syringes when the model was fresh out of rehab.

— molly young, GQ, "The Excessive Vision of Donatella Versace," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'couture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of couture

French, from Old French cousture sewing, from Vulgar Latin *consutura, from Latin consutus, past participle of consuere to sew together, from com- + suere to sew — more at sew

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1908

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year