To save this word, you'll need to log in.
dressed down; dressing down; dresses down
Definition of dress down
: to reprove severely
: to dress casually especially for reasons of fashion
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for dress down
Synonyms
- baste,
- bawl out,
- berate,
- call down,
- castigate,
- chastise,
- chew out,
- flay,
- hammer,
- jaw,
- keelhaul,
- lambaste
- (or lambast),
- lecture,
- rag,
- rail (at or against),
- rant (at),
- rate,
- ream (out),
- rebuke,
- reprimand,
- reproach,
- scold,
- score,
- tongue-lash,
- upbraid
Examples of dress down in a Sentence
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Recent Examples on the Web Vice President Joe Biden was losing his temper, dressing down the president of Ukraine in front of a group of high-level advisers and officials from both countries inside a regal complex at the United Nations.
—
Author: Matt Viser, Paul Sonne, Anchorage Daily News, "Inside Biden’s brawling efforts to reform Ukraine," 20 Oct. 2019 Later, Waterhouse, dressed down in a T-shirt and jeans, took to the stage.
—
Ian Malone, Vogue, "Kendall, Hailey, Cara! Models Galore Came Out to the Opening of Edition Hotels’s Times Square Outpost," 13 Mar. 2019 Colman is breathtaking in those rare scenes when Elizabeth registers anger, reveals disappointment or dresses down a family member.
—
Hal Boedeker, orlandosentinel.com, "‘The Crown’: All hail Olivia Colman as Elizabeth II," 13 Nov. 2019 El Tri have some pride to restore after they were given a 4–0 dressing down by Argentina in their previous outing.
—
Si Wire, SI.com, "Mexico vs. Trinidad and Tobago Live Stream: Watch Online, TV Channel, Time," 2 Oct. 2019 Whereas Mr Milne is always impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, Mr Cummings dresses down in a sleeveless jacket and trainers.
—
The Economist, "Cummings and Milne, rival advisers bent on disrupting British politics," 29 Sep. 2019 Antony JonesGetty Images This week, the Duchess of Cambridge dressed down for the inaugural Kings Cup regatta at The Royal Yacht Squadron.
—
Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton's Favorite Casual Sneakers Are on Sale for $49," 10 Aug. 2019 The Birmingham office had no reaction to its dressing down on Friday.
—
Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, "A Presidential Storm Leaves Forecasters Rebuked," 6 Sep. 2019 Whitney always pictured herself wearing an embellished, strapless dress down the aisle.
—
Vogue, "A Black-Tie Wedding in Sea Island Ended With a Coachella Themed After-Party," 7 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on dress down
What made you want to look up dress down? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share dress down
Time Traveler for dress down
The first known use of dress down was in 1852
See more words from the same year