dress
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dress (dres)
transitive verb dressed or drest, dressing dress′·ing
- to put clothes on; clothe
- to provide with clothing
- to decorate; trim; adorn
- to arrange a display in to dress a store window
- to arrange or do up (the hair)
- to arrange (troops) in a straight line or lines
- to apply medicines and bandages to (a wound, sore, etc.)
- to treat as required in preparing for use, grooming, etc.; esp.,
- to clean and eviscerate (a fowl, deer, etc.)
- to till, cultivate, or fertilize (fields or plants)
- to curry (a horse, leather, etc.)
- to smooth, finish, shape, etc. (stone, wood, etc.)
Etymology: ME dressen, to make straight, direct < OFr drecier, to set up, arrange < VL *directiare < L directus: see direct
intransitive verb
- to put on clothes; wear clothes
- to dress in formal clothes
- to get into a straight line or proper alignment: said of troops
noun
- clothes, clothing, or apparel, esp. as suitable for certain occasions [casual dress] or for a certain place or time modern dress
- an outer garment for women, having a skirt and usually made in one piece: formerly and traditionally the usual garment for women, now more often limited to somewhat formal occasions
- formal clothes
- external covering or appearance
adjective
- of or for dresses dress material
- worn on formal occasions a dress suit
- requiring formal clothes a dress occasion
dress down
- to scold severely; reprimand
- to wear casual clothes to an activity, job, etc. that ordinarily requires more formal dress
dress ship
dress up
- to dress in formal clothes, or in clothes more elegant, showy, etc. than one usually wears
- to improve the appearance of, as by decorating
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
dress
n.
Clothing
A woman's outer garment
frock, basic black dress, gown, jumper, sheath, cocktail dress, evening gown, ball gown, formal*, wedding gown, suit*, skirt*, tunic*, robe*, sun dress, tank dress, shirtwaist dress, shift*, sack*, sweater dress*, strapless*, wraparound*, sari*, muumuu*, toga*, cheongsam*, housedress*, smock*, sarong*, housecoat; see also clothes.
dress
v.
To put on clothes
don, put on, wear, garb, clothe, change clothes, robe, attire, apparel, costume, drape, array, cover, wrap up, get into, fit into, try on, slip on, slip into, throw on, fix up, spruce up, dress up, overdress, muffle up, bundle up, deck, deck out, doll up*, trick out*, tog up*, underdress*, dress down; see also clothe, dress up, wear 1.To provide with clothes
To make ready for show or use
groom, adorn, ornament, make ready; see decorate, prepare 1, trim 2.To give medical treatment
attend, treat, bandage, cleanse, sterilize, cauterize, give first aid, bind, apply a surgical dressing, apply antiseptics, apply medication, plaster, sew up, remove stitches; see also heal 1.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Converse of object
- wear: Ladies can wear long dresses or smart trousers with top.
Adjective modifier
- fancy: The girls turned out in fine form wearing all sorts of fancy dress from big pants to cowboy hats.
Modifies a noun
- rehearsal: He did a dress rehearsal, which was open in the morning.
Noun used with modifier
- wedding: Re: my wedding dress shop has gone bankrupt!
Infinitive complement
- impress: Entry is only £ 10 and guests should dress to impress!
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
Thegloryof God isman, and thegloryof manishisdress.
For Mercy has a human heart Pity a human face: And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.
You must understand that this is not a woman's dress I'm wearing. It's a man's dress.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Cite this page:
MLA Style
"dress." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/dress>
APA Style
dress. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/dress

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