bespoke
Americanadjective
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(of clothes) made to individual order; custom-made.
a bespoke jacket.
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making or selling such clothes.
a bespoke tailor.
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Older Use. engaged to be married; spoken for.
verb
adjective
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(esp of clothing or a website, computer program, etc) made to the customer's specifications
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making or selling such clothing, websites, etc
a bespoke tailor
a bespoke web designer
Usage
What does bespoke mean? Bespoke means custom-made—made based on the specifications of the person ordering it, as in a bespoke suit. It can also be used to describe a person or company that makes such things, as in bespoke tailor.Bespoke is an adjective, but it’s also the past tense of the verb bespeak, which commonly means to ask for in advance (as in I need to bespeak your help) or to reserve beforehand (as in You need to bespeak a table, sir). But bespeak is rarely used as a verb anymore—it sounds very outdated.Bespoke also sounds a bit old-fashioned, but that’s probably why it became so trendy—it’s often used to imply a handcrafted, unique approach to making something. In its strictest sense, bespoke means made-to-order, but it’s often applied to things that aren’t actually made specifically for someone but that are simply made individually, as opposed to being mass-produced.Example: I found this website yesterday that does bespoke sweatshirts that can be custom-made to my preferences and body type!
Etymology
Origin of bespoke
First recorded in 1745–55 bespoke for def. 1
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.
Like all BDCs, it raises funds by selling shares, or taking on its own debt, and lends it out in bespoke private-credit deals, with the income paid out in dividends.
GP-stakes transactions are all privately negotiated and bespoke, requiring a great deal of knowledge of the target firm and its prospects, he said.
Google’s Willow chip matters not because of what it computes, but because of how it’s made — using industrial-grade fabrication that looks more like semiconductor manufacturing than a bespoke physics experiment.
From MarketWatch
The trend has spawned a cottage industry of e-books, Zoom workshops by “vaccine friendly” doctors offering alternative schedules, bespoke inoculations and post-vaccine detox regimens.
From Los Angeles Times
The rest of the time, they take part in bespoke lessons to support their needs, where they get access to specially-trained staff and a tailored curriculum.
From BBC
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.