an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
formal attire.
a particular form of appearance; guise.
outer covering, as the plumage of birds.
adjective
of or for a dress or dresses.
of or for a formal occasion.
requiring formal dress.
verb (used with object),dressed or (Obsolete) drest,dress·ing.
to put clothing upon.
to put formal or evening clothes on.
to trim; ornament; adorn: to dress a store window; to dress a Christmas tree.
to design clothing for or sell clothes to.
to comb out and do up (hair).
to cut up, trim, and remove the skin, feathers, viscera, etc., from (an animal, meat, fowl, or flesh of a fowl) for market or for cooking (often followed by out when referring to a large animal): We dressed three chickens for the dinner. He dressed out the deer when he got back to camp.
to prepare (skins, fabrics, timber, stone, ore, etc.) by special processes.
to apply medication or a dressing to (a wound or sore).
to make straight; bring (troops) into line: to dress ranks.
to make (stone, wood, or other building material) smooth.
to cultivate (land, fields, etc.).
Theater. to arrange (a stage) by effective placement of properties, scenery, actors, etc.
to ornament (a vessel) with ensigns, house flags, code flags, etc.: The bark was dressed with masthead flags only.
Angling.
to prepare or bait (a fishhook) for use.
to prepare (bait, especially an artificial fly) for use.
Printing. to fit (furniture) around and between pages in a chase prior to locking it up.
to supply with accessories, optional features, etc.: to have one's new car fully dressed.
verb (used without object),dressed or (Obsolete), drest,dress·ing.
to clothe or attire oneself; put on one's clothes: Wake up and dress, now!
to put on or wear formal or fancy clothes: to dress for dinner.
to come into line, as troops.
to align oneself with the next soldier, marcher, dancer, etc., in line.
Verb Phrases
dress down,
to reprimand; scold.
to thrash; beat.
to dress informally or less formally: to dress down for the shipboard luau.
dress up,
to put on one's best or fanciest clothing; dress relatively formally: They were dressed up for the Easter parade.
to dress in costume or in another person's clothes: to dress up in Victorian clothing; to dress up as Marie Antoinette.
to embellish or disguise, especially in order to make more appealing or acceptable: to dress up the facts with colorful details.
Idioms for dress
dress ship,
to decorate a ship by hoisting lines of flags running its full length.
U.S. Navy.to display the national ensigns at each masthead and a larger ensign on the flagstaff.
Origin of dress
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English dressen, from Anglo-French dresser, dresc(i)er, “to arrange, prepare,” Old French drecier, from unattested Vulgar Latin dīrēctiāre, derivative of Latin dīrēctus direct; noun use of verb in sense “attire” from circa 1600
1. Dress,costume,gown refer to garments for women. Dress is the general term for a garment: a black dress.Costume is used of the style of dress appropriate to some occasion, purpose, period, or character, especially as used on the stage, at balls, at court, or the like, and may apply to men's garments as well: an 18th-century costume.Gown is usually applied to a dress more expensive and elegant than the ordinary, usually long, to be worn on a special occasion: a wedding gown.
OTHER WORDS FROM dress
half-dressed,adjectiveoutdress,verb (used with object)
A dress would then show up at a customer’s home, she’d wear it for whatever occasion had brought her to the site to begin with, and then she’d ship the dress back when she was done with it.
‘How I Built This’ host Guy Raz on insights from some of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs|Rachel King|September 15, 2020|Fortune
The Swedish dress up like Swedish milkmaids and make a lot of noise.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Bowl of Porridge|Clarissa Wei|September 11, 2020|Eater
As if to underscore that the company does not plan to bend to convention even once public, Karp introduced Wednesday’s presentation dressed in cross country-training gear in a pre-recorded video.
Palantir CEO to investors: Pick a ‘different company’ if you don’t like us|Verne Kopytoff|September 10, 2020|Fortune
In the end, the battalion rides to the emperor’s defense with Mulan openly in the lead, dressed as a woman.
The history of Mulan, from a 6th-century ballad to the live-action Disney movie|Constance Grady|September 4, 2020|Vox
Being mistaken for the parking valet no matter how well one is dressed, or being wantonly stopped by the police are all too regular events for many.
3 ways to make sure corporate diversity and inclusion efforts have a lasting impact|matthewheimer|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Families stuff a life-size male doll with memories of the outgoing year and dress him in their clothing.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple fingers crossed,” Selman told Style.com of the dress.
What, and Who, You'll Be Wearing in 2015|Justin Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The exhibit also includes examples of designers borrowing from fine art, as Yves Saint Laurent did with his Mondrian dress.
The Big Business of Fashion Counterfeits|Lizzie Crocker|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the interview wound down, Bentivolio reflected on what may have motivated him to dress as Santa.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus|Ben Jacobs|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They dress in clothing from the flophouse lost-and-found and are groomed with a hacksaw and gravel rake.
Up to a Point: They Made Me Write About Lena Dunham|P. J. O’Rourke|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She lifted the dress, and the beautiful pearl ornaments, and held them up to the light.
The Fatal Glove|Clara Augusta Jones Trask
The subject was accordingly dropped, and we hurried away to dress.
Under the Meteor Flag|Harry Collingwood
What was the longest time you ever took to dress or undress and say your prayers?
Bunyan Characters (Second Series)|Alexander Whyte
I again refused, and we stood higgling, until we agreed that I should pay him six, and one by way of a dress for himself.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan|James Morier
“I will fasten up your dress in the neck if that is what you want,” said she.
The Shoulders of Atlas|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
British Dictionary definitions for dress
dress
/ (drɛs) /
verb
to put clothes on (oneself or another); attire
(intr)
to change one's clothes
to wear formal or evening clothes
(tr)to provide (someone) with clothing; clothe
(tr)to arrange merchandise in (a shop window) for effective display
(tr)to comb out or arrange (the hair) into position
(tr)to apply protective or therapeutic covering to (a wound, sore, etc)
(tr)to prepare (food, esp fowl and fish) for cooking or serving by cleaning, trimming, gutting, etc
(tr)to put a finish on (the surface of stone, metal, etc)
(tr)to till and cultivate (land), esp by applying manure, compost, or fertilizer
(tr)to prune and trim (trees, bushes, etc)
(tr)to groom (an animal, esp a horse)
(tr)to convert (tanned hides) into leather
(tr)archaicto spay or neuter (an animal)
anglingto tie (a fly)
militaryto bring (troops) into line or (of troops) to come into line (esp in the phrase dress ranks)
dress shipnauticalto decorate a vessel by displaying all signal flags on lines run from the bow to the stern over the mast trucks
noun
a one-piece garment for a woman, consisting of a skirt and bodice
complete style of clothing; costumeformal dress; military dress
(modifier)suitable or required for a formal occasiona dress shirt
the outer covering or appearance, esp of living thingstrees in their spring dress of leaves
See also dress down, dress up
Word Origin for dress
C14: from Old French drecier, ultimately from Latin dīrigere to direct