cross-dressing

noun

cross-dress·​ing ˈkrȯs-ˌdre-siŋ How to pronounce cross-dressing (audio)
: the wearing of clothes designed for the opposite sex
cross-dress intransitive verb
cross-dresser noun

Examples of cross-dressing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Forgotten Gender Nonconformists of the Old West Livia Gershon April 27, 2018 In the Old West, cross-dressing was sometimes a disguise for criminals on the lam. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025 The Catholic Church opposed cross-dressing in laws, liturgical meetings and other writings. Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 27 May 2025 Other fans questioned whether the cross-dressing Pleakley character was rejected to make the film more appealing to a mainstream audience. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 22 May 2025 Well, now Trump is being accused of hypocrisy because the upcoming season at the Kennedy Center does include drag, or at least cross-dressing. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 21 May 2025 From criminal cross-dressing laws, to bans on open military service, to explicit exclusions from protection under civil rights statutes, the government has systematically sanctioned discrimination against transgender people for being transgender going back decades. Chase Strangio, Time, 31 Mar. 2025 Beyond the Halloween convention, people who liked to cross-dress often visited the house on weekends and holidays, and were welcome to take all of their meals there, or help with the gardening. Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 June 2024 And Chiara’s cross-dressing sparks an homage to Marcello’s most romantic film, Visconti’s White Nights, this time rescuing a suicidal gay soldier. Armond White, National Review, 14 Feb. 2025 The 2006 cult classic twist on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night starred Amanda Bynes as a cross-dressing soccer prodigy and Channing Tatum as the clueless, heartthrob team captain. Paulina Prosnitz, airmail.news, 24 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cross-dressing was in 1911

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Cite this Entry

“Cross-dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-dressing. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

cross-dressing

noun
cross-dress·​ing
ˈkrȯs-ˌdres-iŋ
: the wearing of clothes made for the opposite sex
cross-dresser
-ər
noun

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