Added 9 October 2026

dress

/dɹes/ verb

In Latin: vestiō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dress at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
He was dressed in the latest fashions.
To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
He was dressed in the latest fashions.
To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.

An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist.
Amy and Mary looked very pretty in their dresses.
An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist.
Amy and Mary looked very pretty in their dresses.
An item of outer clothing or set of such clothes (worn by people of all sexes) which is generally decorative and appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc. Any item of clothing, or an outfit.
He wore a bright orange dress to the office yesterday.

PIE word *dwís The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence English direct. Further akin to Latin regō. The noun is derived from the verb. Compare typologically adorn (<< Latin ōrnō < ōrdō, whence also ōrdinō, English order, ornament); Russian наряжа́ть (narjažátʹ), наря́д (narjád) (akin to ряд (rjad), поря́док (porjádok)).