dress
verb/dres/
/dres/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they dress | /dres/ /dres/ |
| he / she / it dresses | /ˈdresɪz/ /ˈdresɪz/ |
| past simple dressed | /drest/ /drest/ |
| past participle dressed | /drest/ /drest/ |
| -ing form dressing | /ˈdresɪŋ/ /ˈdresɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to put clothes on yourself/somebody
- I dressed quickly.
- Get up and get dressed!
- dress in something He had dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans.
- dress somebody/yourself in something She dressed the children in their best clothes.
- dress yourself You're old enough to dress yourself now.
- dress somebody/something The children spend hours dressing and undressing their dolls.
- Her mother always dressed them identically.
Collocations Clothes and fashionClothes and fashionClothes- be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/uniform
- be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes)
- be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion
- be dressed as a clown/pirate/policeman
- wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes
- wear jewellery/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
- change/enhance/improve your appearance
- create/get/have/give something 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
- 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 something
- organize/put on a fashion show
- show/unveil a designer’s spring/summer collection
- sashay/strut down the catwalk/(North American English also) runway
- be on/do a photo/fashion shoot
Extra ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashiona1- She got dressed quickly.
- He washed and dressed himself in fresh clothing.
- He dressed carefully in the brown suit he had been married in.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hurriedly
- quickly
- slowly
- …
- in
- be fully dressed
- get dressed
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] to wear a particular type or style of clothes
- to dress smartly/casually
- All staff are expected to dress appropriately.
- dress for something You should dress for cold weather today.
- dress in something She always dressed entirely in black.
Collocations Clothes and fashionClothes and fashionClothes- be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/uniform
- be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes)
- be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion
- be dressed as a clown/pirate/policeman
- wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes
- wear jewellery/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
- change/enhance/improve your appearance
- create/get/have/give something 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
- 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 something
- organize/put on a fashion show
- show/unveil a designer’s spring/summer collection
- sashay/strut down the catwalk/(North American English also) runway
- be on/do a photo/fashion shoot
Extra Examples- Susan always dresses very elegantly.
- I have to dress smartly for work.
- You should dress warmly, as it's quite cold out.
- She began to act and dress differently.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- beautifully
- elegantly
- fashionably
- …
- as
- for
- in
- …
- dress to the nines
- dress up to the nines
- [intransitive] to put on formal clothes
- Do they expect us to dress for dinner?
- [transitive] dress somebody to provide clothes for somebody famous
- He dresses many of Hollywood's most famous young stars.
- She dresses celebrities for awards ceremonies.
- [transitive] dress something to clean, treat and cover a wound
- The nurse will dress that cut for you.
- [transitive] dress something 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)
- [transitive] dress something (formal) to decorate or arrange something
- to dress a shop window (= arrange a display of clothes or goods in it)
- She had her hair dressed by a stylist.
- [transitive] dress something to prepare a material such as stone, wood, leather, etc. for use
clothes
wound
food
decorate/arrange
stone/wood/leather
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘put straight’): from Old French dresser ‘arrange, prepare’, based on Latin directus ‘direct, straight’.
Idioms
See dress in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dress in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishlook/dress the part
- to have an appearance or wear clothes suitable for a particular job, role or position
- He acts and dresses the part of a gentleman.
- He was a pirate in the school play and certainly looked the part.
mutton dressed as lamb
- (British English, informal, offensive) an offensive way to describe a woman who you think is trying to look younger than she really is, especially by wearing clothes that are designed for young people
Check pronunciation:
dress