dress /dres/

1. To clothe
2. To apply suitable materials to
3. To straighten
4. To flatten
5. To smooth
6. To erect
7. To set in order
8. To prepare, arrange
9. To adorn
10. To finish or trim
11. To draw (a fowl), to gut and trim (a fish, etc)
12. To add seasoning to (food)
13. To manure
14. To treat
15. To tend
16. To tie (a fly) (angling)
17. To treat with severity
18. To chide
19. To thrash

1. To put on clothes
2. To put on finer, more elaborate, or more formal clothes
3. To come into line

1. The covering or ornament of the body
2. A woman's one-piece skirted garment
3. Style of clothing
4. Ceremonial or formal clothing

Relating to (formal) evening dress

dressˈer noun

1. A person who dresses
2. A medical student who dresses wounds
3. A lady's maid
4. A person who assists an actor to dress (theatre)
5. A tool or machine for dressing
6. A table on which meat is dressed or prepared for use
7. A kitchen sideboard, esp with a high back and shelves
8. A chest of drawers or dressing-table (N American)

dressˈing noun

1. Dress or clothes
2. The action of someone who dresses
3. Material applied to a wound
4. Material applied to goods, eg a coat of preservative
5. Matter used to give stiffness and gloss to cloth
6. Sauce or (US) stuffing, etc, used in preparing a dish for the table, etc
7. Manure or the like applied to land
8. An ornamental moulding
9. A thrashing

dressˈy adjective

1. Fond of dress
2. Showy
3. Formal or elegant
4. Indicating care in dressing

dress circle noun

Part of a theatre (usu the first gallery), orig intended for people in evening dress

dress coat noun

A man's fine black coat with narrow or cutaway skirts, worn in full dress (see below)

dressed day noun

Formerly, the second day of a three days' visit

dress form noun

A dressmaker's (usu adjustable) model

dressˈ-goods plural noun

Fabrics for making women's and children's gowns, frocks, etc

dressˈguard noun (archaic)

An arrangement of strings to protect the rider's dress from contact with a bicycle wheel

dressˈ-improver noun (obsolete)

A bustle

dressˈing-case noun

A case for toiletry requisites

dressˈing-down noun

1. A severe scolding
2. A thrashing

dressˈing-gown noun

A loose garment worn before or whilst dressing, or in déshabillé, etc

dressˈing-jacket or (obsolete) dressˈing-sack noun

A jacket worn by women in dressing

dressˈing-room noun

dressing station noun

A place where wounded are collected and tended by members of a field ambulance

dressˈing-table noun

dressˈ-length noun

Enough (fabric) to make a dress

dressˈmaker noun

1. A person who makes clothes
2. A person who makes clothes for women and children as a living (dressˈmake intransitive verb informal back-formation)

dressˈmaking noun

The art or process of making clothes

dress parade noun

A military parade in dress uniform

dressˈ-reform noun

A late 19c movement seeking to make dress more practical

dressˈ-rehearsˈal noun

A full rehearsal in costume with everything as for the performance (also figurative)

dress sense noun

Sense of style in dress, knowledge of what suits one

dressˈ-shield noun

A device to protect the armpit of a dress, etc against sweat

dress shirt, dress suit, dress tie, etc noun

Those for formal evening dress

dress uniform noun

A formal, ceremonial uniform

dress down

1. To handle with severity
2. To reprimand severely
3. To thrash
4. To dress deliberately informally

dress up

1. To dress elaborately
2. To dress for a part
3. To masquerade
4. To treat so as to make appear better or more interesting, etc than it really is

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