fancy dress

noun

: a costume (as for a masquerade) chosen to suit the wearer's fancy

Examples of fancy dress in a Sentence

Everyone wore fancy dress for the ball.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At one point, the family lived above a fancy dress shop, and Lloyd would sneak downstairs and dress up as various characters. Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025 Fans have thrown themselves into a viral fancy dress trend for his shows, donning black suits, bald caps and sunglasses and meeting up for flash mobs outside of the venues. Thomas Smith, Billboard, 11 June 2025 The team lost the match, but their fans won best fancy dress of the season. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 May 2025 These bunny Mary Jane’s with glittery ears are the perfect complement to her fancy dress. Jené Luciani Sena, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fancy dress

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fancy dress was in 1770

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fancy dress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fancy%20dress. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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