dress down

verb

Definition of dress down

transitive verb

: to reprove severely

intransitive verb

: to dress casually especially for reasons of fashion

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about dress down

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Examples of dress down in a Sentence

dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance

Recent Examples on the Web

Today's outfit is much more dressed down from last night's appearance at Buckingham Palace, where the Duchess of Cambridge wore stellar diamond earrings and an asymmetrical pink dress. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Makes a Surprise Appearance in a Blue Emilia Wickstead Dress," 15 Nov. 2018 That pieces could be very easily dressed up or dressed down. — Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gillian Anderson Is Breaking into Fashion with a Capsule Collection for Winser London," 1 Sep. 2018 Rosneft head Igor Sechin reportedly flew to Caracas last week to dress down dictator Nicolás Maduro and the deadbeats at PdVSA. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "Russia’s Latin American Offensive," 2 Dec. 2018 In the smiley picture, the ex-Suits star is wearing her signature pre-royalty look of skinny jeans, a white shirt and a dressed down leather jacket for a casual evening with friends. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Remember That Time Meghan Markle Vacationed with Eddie Redmayne in 2015?," 13 Nov. 2018 Meghan used the opportunity to dress down, and wore a pair of sustainable sneakers from Veja. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Wore an Olive Green Shirtdress to the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony," 27 Oct. 2018 The grill’s large, open hearth is behind a butcher-block counter that runs the length of the dining room, which has been dressed down to suit the casual concept. — Providence Cicero, The Seattle Times, "Central Smoke’s Asian-accented, down-home barbecue adds fire and spice to chilly nights," 25 Oct. 2018 Instead of designers issuing seasonal laws, the power has shifted to the people, who are dressing up or dressing down, but most importantly dressing for themselves. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "The Top 10 Accessories Trends of Spring 2019," 16 Oct. 2018 Mudroom or playroom-ready lockers from Mustard in fun colors make dressing down or clearing up a quick process. — Carisha Swanson, House Beautiful, "Go Inside The London Design Festival, AKA Fashion Week For Decor Addicts," 2 Oct. 2018

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