dress down
verb
dressed down; dressing down; dresses down
: to reprove severely
: to dress casually especially for reasons of fashion
Synonyms
Examples of dress down in a Sentence
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Recent Examples on the Web
The two made low-key appearances in the crowd on April 12 and April 13, dressed down to enjoy the annual event held in Indio, California.
—
Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
For the reception, the NFL star dressed down, swapping his suit for a plain black polo shirt and a pair of gray jeans.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Princess Kate dressed down for the outing, wearing black leggings, a pair of black sneakers and a zip-up hoodie (with a subtle message to her royal work!).
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
Among the similarities Stephenson highlighted was an early moment in which the protagonist is summoned to his boss’ office and dressed down for wronging a politician.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
There's something so fun about seeing our favorite ultra-glam celebs dressed down for a day of errand-running and hanging at home.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 3 Jan. 2024
He’s used it to demand customers buy more steel and to dress down analysts who’ve dared to critique his company’s performance.
—Bob Tita, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023
Comfort is king here, and these yoga pants can be dressed up for class or dressed down for lounging at home.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024
And while the trend itself has a more sophisticated, uptown kind of vibe, it can be dressed down all the same.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
For the reception, the NFL star dressed down, swapping his suit for a plain black polo shirt and a pair of gray jeans.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Princess Kate dressed down for the outing, wearing black leggings, a pair of black sneakers and a zip-up hoodie (with a subtle message to her royal work!).
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
Among the similarities Stephenson highlighted was an early moment in which the protagonist is summoned to his boss’ office and dressed down for wronging a politician.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
There's something so fun about seeing our favorite ultra-glam celebs dressed down for a day of errand-running and hanging at home.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 3 Jan. 2024
He’s used it to demand customers buy more steel and to dress down analysts who’ve dared to critique his company’s performance.
—Bob Tita, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023
Comfort is king here, and these yoga pants can be dressed up for class or dressed down for lounging at home.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024
And while the trend itself has a more sophisticated, uptown kind of vibe, it can be dressed down all the same.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dress down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dress down
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress%20down. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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