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

1

a

: to make or fashion as the work of a tailor

b

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

2

: to fit with clothes

3

: to style with trim straight lines and finished handwork

intransitive verb

: to do the work of a tailor

Synonyms of tailor

Verb

• adjust
• adapt
• suit
• conform
• put
• customize

Examples of tailor in a Sentence

Verb

I had my suit tailored.

They tailored the show for younger audiences.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Enter a rock-and-roll trio of fashion-designer tailors with red, black, and frizzy brown hair, all wearing wildly colorful countercultural garb. —Jennifer Homans, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Isaac Blankfein, my paternal great-grandfather, worked as a tailor on Delancey Street, on the Lower East Side. —CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Verb

McManus infused her signature design and styling details—lace, exquisite craft by way of macramé, and not-so-girly pink—into Phelps’s penchant for clean lines, tailored denim, and sharp details. —Libby Page, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026

Modern air power has become more and more precise, and further empowered by weapons that are tailored for various effects. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing tailor

• custom-tailor
• tailor-made

Rhymes for tailor

• bailer
• bailor
• baler
• jailer
• jailor
• paler
• sailer
• sailor
• scalar
• scaler
• trailer
• whaler

Kids Definition

tailor

1 of 2 noun

tai·​lor ˈtā-lər 

: a person whose occupation is making or making adjustments in outer garments

tailor

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make or fashion as the work of a tailor

2

: to make or make suitable for a special need or purpose