Definition of dress noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dress

noun

/dres/

clothes

[countable] a piece of clothing that is made in one piece and hangs down to cover the body as far as the legs, sometimes reaching to below the knees, or to the ankles

a long white dress
to wear/put on/take off a dress
in a dress a young woman in a pink silk dress

Extra Examples

I appeared in a slinky satin dress.
These shoes go best with my dress.
She hitched up her long dress so it wouldn't drag in the mud.
You will look elegant in a simple black dress.
She sat down and smoothed her dress over her legs.

Topics Clothes and Fashiona1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

beautiful
elegant
gorgeous
…

verb + dress

unzip
zip
zip up
…

dress + noun

shop
designer
size
…

preposition

in a/the dress

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[uncountable] clothes of a particular type

to wear casual/formal dress
in… dress men and women in traditional Tibetan dress
a performance of ‘Hamlet’ in modern dress
He has no dress sense (= no idea of how to dress well).

Synonyms clothesclothesclothing ▪ garment ▪ dress ▪ wear ▪ gearThese 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 they are being sold in shops:

the children’s wear department

gear [U] (informal) clothes:

Her friends were all wearing the latest designer gear.

Patterns

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

Culture formal and informal dressformal and informal dressIn general, people in Britain and the US dress in a fairly informal way. Many wear casual clothes most of the time, not just when they are at home or on holiday. Men and women wear jeans or other casual trousers with a shirt or T-shirt and a sweater to go shopping, meet friends, go to a pub or bar, or take their children out. Older people are more likely to dress more smartly, with women wearing a dress or skirt and blouse, and men a shirt, jacket and trousers, when they go out. In summer people may wear shorts (= short trousers), but these are not usually considered appropriate for work in an office.Many people dress up (= put on smart clothes) to go to a formal party or an expensive restaurant. Young people are most interested in following fashion and regularly buy new clothes.Men wear suits, and women wear suits or dresses, for formal occasions like funerals or interviews for jobs. Some wear suits or smart clothes every day because their employer expects it or because they think it makes them look more professional. Most people prefer more casual, comfortable clothes for work but some companies do not like people wearing jeans. Employees in banks and shops often have uniforms.For very formal occasions during the day, such as a wedding, men may wear morning dress. This includes a jacket with long ‘tails’ at the back, dark grey trousers and a grey top hat. Women wear a smart dress and perhaps a hat. For very formal events in the evening, men may wear evening dress, also called white tie, which consists of a black tailcoat, black trousers, a white waistcoat, white shirt and white bow tie. Women usually wear a long evening dress or ball gown. Usually for formal evening events men wear black tie or a tuxedo, consisting of a black dinner jacket, black trousers and a black bow tie.

Extra Examples