attire
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
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
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.
In the 1990s, Italian luxury fashion brand Krizia’s collection included women wearing cassock-like dresses, while Italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati’s 2010 line for Yves Saint Laurent played on the attire of Catholic nuns.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
How do they differ from regular off-court attire?
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
In Eastern Europe the labor camps had put an end to hundreds of years of colorful peasant attire, Ms. Müller observes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
But his attacking style and individuality, in a sport known for its formal attire and disciplined approach, marked him out for greatness.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Like the two women he’d encountered before, most wore plain brown tunics, and some had even accentuated their attire with brightly colored leaves woven into their kinky white hair.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
