tailor

1 of 2

noun

tai·lor ˈtā-lər

: a person whose occupation is making or altering garments (such as suits, jackets, and dresses) typically to fit a particular person

tailor

2 of 2

verb

tailored; tailoring; tailors

transitive verb

: to make or fashion as the work of a tailor

: to make or adapt to suit a special need or purpose

: to fit with clothes

: to style with trim straight lines and finished handwork

intransitive verb

: to do the work of a tailor

Example Sentences

Verb I had my suit tailored. They tailored the show for younger audiences.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Grimanis paid a tailor to make her suits—already the same cut but in different monochromatic colors—feel like silk pajamas on the inside. —

Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 12 May 2023 This is where the sculpting comes in, and a tailor will mark up the adjustments needed to be made with chalk. —

Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 6 May 2023 His father, Henry, was a clothes buyer; his mother, Esma (McCubbin) Olsen, was a tailor. —

Yan Zhuang, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2023 The tailor shop was one such spot, created at a Yaly Couture shop. —

Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 22 Apr. 2023 Morris Jaffee quickly adjusted to the pace of early-20th-century America, starting as a tailor in New York and then taking a job in retailing in Savannah. —

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023 That doesn’t mean always buying tailored pieces, like oversized blazers, but instead taking things to the tailor to ensure everything fits you properly. —

Dale Arden Chong, ELLE, 9 Mar. 2023 Trust & Will tailors documents to meet guidelines of individual states and counties. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023 Two other bits are included which are literally howls — the tailor routine by Abe Reynolds and the waiter moment by Pat Goldin. —

Jack D. Grant, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2022

Verb

Hill, meanwhile, wore a contrasting all-white look: an oversize, tailored Michael Kors suit paired with a lacy bralette. —

Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 June 2023 On a practical level, Magic’s business entails providing software development kits, or SDKs, to corporate clients, which can then tailor the wallets to their specific needs. —

Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 31 May 2023 With Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits, founding partner Sarah Jessica Parker has created her own Cosmopolitan tailored to her unique style. —

People Staff, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023 The resort has an entire romance package tailored to traveling lovebirds or honeymooners, with a guest service team ready to help personalize your getaway. —

Leena Kim, Town & Country, 25 May 2023 The Daily Stormer, a leading neo-Nazi website, launched a Spanish-language edition in 2017 tailored for readers in Spain and Latin America. —

Alanna Durkin Richer, Michale Kunzelman, And Lindsay Whitehurst , The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2023 This data helps brands understand their target audience and tailor their messaging to better resonate with their customers. —

Joshua Adragna, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2023 Know them, and figure out how to tailor their experiences to their needs. —

Akin Akinpelu, Forbes, 4 May 2023 Providing meals that are healthy and easily tailored to individual patient needs. —

Scientific American, 2 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tailor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English taillour, from Anglo-French taillur, from tailler, taillier to cut, from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea plant cutting, thin piece of wood

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1719, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of tailor was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century