dress down

verb

dressed down; dressing down; dresses down

transitive verb

: to reprove severely

intransitive verb

: to dress casually especially for reasons of fashion

Synonyms of dress down

• scold
• lecture
• reprimand
• rail (at or against)
• call down
• blame
• chew out
• criticize
• bawl out
• rant (at)

Examples of dress down in a Sentence

dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance

Recent Examples on the Web

In the video, Kravitz wears a white minidress and black flats, while Styles is dressed down in jeans and a blue jacket. —Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026

The handy bag goes with just about any outfit and can be dressed down for dog walks or dressed up for dinner out on the town. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026

These pull-on style pants can easily be dressed down with a T-shirt to wear casually, or with a nice blouse or dress shirt and be boardroom-ready. —Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026

Around the same time, Oscar de la Renta sent floor-skimming shirt dresses down the runway, while Stephen Burrows gave sequins a sporty edge in wrap-styles blouses and dresses – perfect for transitioning from work to cocktail parties in the era. —Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for dress down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

dress down

verb

1

: to criticize severely

2

: to dress casually