attire
Americanverb (used with object)
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attires,
present (3rd person singular)
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attired,
past participle, past
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attiring
present participle
noun
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clothes or apparel, especially rich or splendid garments.
-
the horns of a deer.
verb
noun
-
clothes or garments, esp if fine or decorative
-
the antlers of a mature male deer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attiresimple
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attiressimple
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have attiredperfect
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has attiredperfect
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am attiringprogressive
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are attiringprogressive
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is attiringprogressive
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have been attiringperfect progressive
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has been attiringperfect progressive
Past
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attiredsimple
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had attiredperfect
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was attiringprogressive
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were attiringprogressive
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had been attiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attire
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English atiren < Anglo-French atirer, Old French atirier, verbal derivative of a tire into a row or rank ( see a- 3, tier 1); (noun) Middle English atir < Anglo-French, noun derivative of the v.
Explanation
The noun attire is just a formal way to say "outfit." And if you’re going outside in the middle of a blizzard, your attire should include more than a bathing suit and flip-flops. Attire can also refer to the antlers of a deer, but that’s a pretty obscure definition. So let's stick to the more common uses: put it into verb form and it means "to dress or clothe." Which makes sense, since it comes to us from the Old French atirier, meaning “to equip, ready or prepare.” Charles Dickens wrote that “Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire" — meaning the clothes do not make the man.
Vocabulary lists containing attire
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"On the whole I see a positive trend in the operations of the troop groupings," Putin told army leaders Friday, dressed in military attire.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
As for her attire, it was professional, but not something I would wear.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
It wasn’t royal attire, but as a day dress, it was sumptuous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
When he came on the stage shortly after 8pm, dressed in traditional attire, the stadium erupted and the screams barely stopped for the next two-and-a-bit hours.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Though of excellent quality, his garments had seen much wear, and his cloak was purposely draped to hide his threadbare attire.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
The people who showed up at the Harris rally came in clusters, some families and some groups of friends, all of different ages, races and attires.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2024
Afghan women wear such colorful and modest attires.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2021
"This would be a colorful Rajasthan wedding, and both Brand and Perry would be attired in Indian wedding attires," Singh said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2010
Toni-Leslie James’s carnivalesque costumes provide the only touches of color, and they are limited to the attires of Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2010
About this time he instituted the Order of the Garter, and his tournaments were thronged with gay knights and gayer ladies in gorgeous attires.
From A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3) From the earliest times to the Death of King Edward VII by Samuel Rawson Gardiner
Ehis now has a master's degree in international business and says it was important to mark the occasion properly attired, even if it can be financially difficult.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In one of the more arguably iconic sequences, David Byrne and his band — all attired in bright blue uniforms — appeared Tuesday to perform the Talking Heads anthem “Burning Down the House.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Our fashionably attired, urbanely equipped example cost just $57,276, out the door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
“We believe Cook is a hall-of-fame CEO, and he will be CEO for at least the next two years,” says the ever-colorfully attired Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
Ramsay Bolton was attired as befit the lord of the Horn- wood and heir to the Dreadfort.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
"They were seeing themselves as individuals and set themselves apart," said Wendi Ferreira of the styling duo Wendi and Nicole, who are attiring Oyelowo, Channing Tatum and Chris Pine for the Oscars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2015
Pledging eternal faithfulness, Frankie proceeds to support Johnnie, attiring him in "hundred-dollar" suits.
From Time Magazine Archive
Tom was attiring himself in his Sunday best.
From Left End Edwards by C. M. (Charles Mark) Relyea
Mrs. Hardcastle was attiring herself for dinner; not so Mrs. Dundyke; she stood at the door peeping out, hoping to see her husband appear in the long corridor.
From Mildred Arkell, Volume II (of 3) A Novel by Mrs. Henry Wood
And who can wonder? he is a guest from necessity, not choice, he neither chose the fashion of his coming or his attiring.
From A Few Words About the Devil And Other Biographical Sketches and Essays by Charles Bradlaugh
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