dress code

noun

: formally or socially imposed standards of dress

Examples of dress code in a Sentence

The school imposed a new dress code that forbids students from wearing jeans.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the 2025 Emmys in September, the actress subverted the event's formal dress code, opting for straight-leg blue jeans and a white T-shirt, adding a pair of black flats, a belt and sunglasses. —Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026

Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation's strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the nation. —CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026

Members of the royal families in Europe have mastered the art of sticking to the royal dress code while also dressing warmly for the winter. —Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 29 Dec. 2025

Yes, the red carpet that stretches along the Croisette is famed for its archaic dress code, leaving Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, et al at the mercy of prescriptivist film nerds for daring to participate in the sheer and sexy. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dress code

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad