tailor

¹ American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, especially suits, coats, and other outer garments.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make by tailor's work.

2. to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc..

   to tailor one's actions to those of another.

3. to fit or furnish with clothing.

4. Chiefly U.S. Military. to make (a uniform) to order; cut (a ready-made uniform) so as to cause to fit more snugly; taper.

verb (used without object)

1. to do the work of a tailor.

tailor ² American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a stroke of a bell indicating someone's death; knell.

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tailor British  

/ ˈteɪlə /

noun

1. a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear

2. a voracious and active marine food fish, Pomatomus saltator, of Australia with scissor-like teeth

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verb

1. to cut or style (material, clothes, etc) to satisfy certain requirements

2. (tr) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific

   he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience

3. (intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor

Etymology

Origin of tailor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor, from taill(ier) “to cut” (from Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea “rod, cutting,” literally, “heel-piece”; tally ) + -or -or ²

Origin of tailor²

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

Example Sentences

About 70 lavish dresses and tailored suits hang on rails, ready for this year's prom season.

From BBC

However, the product is available outside clinical trials through the FDA’s expanded access pathway—often referred to as “compassionate use,” and tailored to patients with immunocompromised conditions or severe disease.

From Barron's

In coding, OpenAI regained some ground after releasing a new version of its Codex app last month, as well as an updated model called GPT 5.4, which is tailored to professional work.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the petty cash Mr. Haber had given me, I’d found one at a Chinatown tailor shop: royal blue with a faint pattern of flowers.

From Literature

It also said it invests in technology that helps prevent harmful content from ever being viewed, maintains strict recommendation policies and provides features for people to tailor their experiences.

From BBC

Related Words

• accommodate
• adapt
• alter
• conform
• fit
• modify