dress
dress [dress dresses dressed dressing] noun, verb BrE [dres] NAmE [dres]
noun
CLOTHES
1. countable a piece of women's clothing that is made in one piece and covers the body down to the legs, sometimes reaching to below the knees, or to the ankles
•a long white dress
•a wedding dress
see also ↑cocktail dress, ↑evening dress, ↑sundress
2. uncountable clothes for either men or women
•to wear casual/formal dress
• He has no dress sense (= no idea of how to dress well).
see also ↑evening dress, ↑fancy dress, ↑headdress, ↑morning dress
Word Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘put straight’): from Old French dresser ‘arrange, prepare’, based on Latin directus ‘direct, straight’.
Thesaurus:
dress noun U
•All the guests were in evening dress.
clothes • • clothing • • costume • • wear • • wardrobe • |AmE apparel • |informal gear • |formal garment •
casual dress/clothes/clothing/apparel/wear/gear
evening/formal dress/clothes/wear
wear …dress/clothes/costume/gear/garments
Example Bank:
•He was wearing traditional Scottish dress.
•He's got poor dress sense.
•She appeared in a slinky satin dress.
•She hitched up her long dress so it wouldn't drag in the mud.
•She looked elegant in a simple black dress.
•She sat down and smoothed her dress over her legs.
•The club has a strict dress code.
•The hat went with her new dress wonderfully.
•a performance of ‘Hamlet’ in modern dress
•in full dress uniform
•the costumes worn at the fancy-dress ball
•All the guests were in evening dress.
•Everyone was expected to wear fancy dress.
•He has no dress sense.
•The company has a strict dress code — all male employees are expected to wear suits.
•We were allowed to wear casual dress on Fridays.
Derived: ↑dress down ▪ ↑dress somebody down ▪ ↑dress somebody up ▪ ↑dress something up ▪ ↑dress up
verb
CLOTHES
1. intransitive, transitive to put clothes on yourself/sb
•~ (in sth) I dressed quickly.
•~ sb (in sth) She dressed the children in their best clothes.
•Get up and get dressed!
•The children spend hours dressing and undressing their dolls.
Opp: ↑undress
2. intransitive, transitive to wear a particular type or style of clothes
•to dress well/badly/fashionably/comfortably
•~ for/in/as sth You should dress for cold weather today.
• She always dressed entirely in black.
•~ sb (for/in/as sth) He was dressed as a woman (= he was wearing women's clothes).
3. intransitive to put on formal clothes
•Do they expect us to dress for dinner?
4. transitive ~ sb to provide clothes for sb
•He dresses many of Hollywood's most famous young stars.
WOUND
5. transitive ~ sth to clean, treat and cover a wound
•The nurse will dress that cut for you.
FOOD
6. transitive ~ sth to prepare food for cooking or eating
•to dress a salad (= put oil or ↑vinegar, etc. on it)
•to dress a chicken (= take out the parts you cannot eat)
DECORATE
7. transitive ~ sth (formal)to decorate or arrange sth
•to dress a shop window (= arrange a display of clothes or goods in it)
STONE/WOOD/LEATHER
8. transitive ~ sth to prepare a material such as stone, wood, leather, etc. for use
see mutton dressed as lamb at ↑mutton, look/dress the part at ↑part n.
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘put straight’): from Old French dresser ‘arrange, prepare’, based on Latin directus ‘direct, straight’.
Collocations:
Clothes and fashion
Clothes
be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/fur/uniform
be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/leather/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes)
be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion
be dressed as a man/woman/clown/pirate
wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes
wear jewellery/(especially US) jewelry/accessories/a watch/glasses/contact lenses/perfume
have a cowboy hat/red dress/blue suit on
put on/take off your clothes/coat/shoes/helmet
pull on/pull off your coat/gloves/socks
change into/get changed into a pair of jeans/your pyjamas/(especially US) your pajamas
Appearance
change/enhance/improve your appearance
create/get/have/give sth a new/contemporary/retro look
brush/comb/shampoo/wash/blow-dry your hair
have/get a haircut/your hair cut/a new hairstyle
have/get a piercing/your nose pierced
have/get a tattoo/a tattoo done (on your arm)/a tattoo removed
have/get a makeover/cosmetic surgery
use/wear/apply/put on make-up/cosmetics
Fashion
follow/keep up with (the) fashion/the latest fashions
spend/waste money on designer clothes
be fashionably/stylishly/well dressed
have good/great/terrible/awful taste in clothes
update/revamp your wardrobe
be in/come into/go out of fashion
be (back/very much) in vogue
create a style/trend/vogue for sth
organize/put on a fashion show
show/unveil a designer's spring/summer collection
sashay/strut down the catwalk/(NAmE also) runway
be on/do a photo/fashion shoot
Synonyms:
clothes
clothing • garment • dress • wear • gear
These are all words for the things that you wear, such as shirts, jackets, dresses and trousers.
clothes • [pl.] the things that you wear, such as shirts, jackets, dresses and trousers.
clothing • [U] (rather formal) clothes, especially a particular type of clothes: ▪ warm clothing
clothes or clothing?
Clothing is more formal than clothes and is used especially to mean ‘a particular type of clothes’. There is no singular form of clothes or clothing: a piece/an item/an article of clothing is used to talk about one thing that you wear such as a dress or shirt.
garment • (formal) a piece of clothing: ▪ He was wearing a strange shapeless garment.
Garment should only be used in formal or literary contexts; in everyday contexts use a piece of clothing.
dress • [U] clothes, especially when worn in a particular style or for a particular occasion: ▪ We were allowed to wear casual dress on Fridays.
wear • [U] (usually in compounds) clothes for a particular purpose or occasion, especially when it is being sold in shops/stores: ▪ the children's wear department
gear • [U] (informal) clothes: ▪ Her friends were all wearing the latest gear ▪ (= fashionable clothes) ▪.
casual clothes/clothing/dress/wear/gear
evening/formal clothes/dress/wear
designer/sports clothes/clothing/garments/wear/gear
children's/men's/women's clothes/clothing/garments/wear
to have on/be in/wear …clothes/garments/dress/gear
Example Bank:
•He dressed carefully in the brown suit he had been married in.
•I have to dress smartly for work.
•She always dresses (up) to the nines.
•She began to act and dress differently.
•She got dressed quickly.
•She lay down on her bed, fully dressed.
•She was determined to be the best dressed woman at the wedding.
•She was dressed professionally in a business suit.
•Susan always dresses very elegantly.
•The twins were dressed identically.
•The waiters were dressed as clowns.
•The women were all dressed in blue skirts and white blouses.
•Why does she always dress like a boy?
•Everyone dresses down on Fridays.
•He was dressed as a woman.
•She dressed herself and the children in their best clothes.
•The kids love dressing up.
•There's no need to dress up— come as you are.
•to dress well/badly/fashionably/comfortably
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