fancy dress

American  

noun

• fancy dresses
  plural

1. a costume for a ball, masquerade, etc., chosen to please the fancy, usually a costume characteristic of a particular period or place, class of persons, or historical or fictitious character.

---

fancy dress British  

noun

1. 1. costume worn at masquerades, etc, usually representing a particular role, historical figure, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fancy-dress ball

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fancy dresses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fancy dress

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fancy dress

A masquerade without masks is merely fancy dress with an open bar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Brazilian police have disguised themselves using fancy dress to blend in as Carnival-goers to target phone thieves in Rio de Janeiro.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026

Winkleman, who put out the flames with another parent, took a short break from Strictly, and later campaigned for tougher fire safety laws on fancy dress costumes.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

She added parents faced "absolutely huge" financial pressures, and did not want to have "the only child that isn't going to prom, or hasn't got the fancy dress outfit, or the new football boots."

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025

“She came to the last one, she said, and enjoyed it very much. I did not know you have fancy dress dances here, Frank.”

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• apparel
• regalia