dress code

American  

noun

1. a set of rules specifying the garb or type of clothing to be worn by a group or by people under specific circumstances.

   a military dress code; The restaurant's dress code requires men to wear jackets and ties at dinner.

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dress code British  

noun

1. a set of rules or guidelines regarding the manner of dress acceptable in an office, restaurant, etc

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Example Sentences

Though most men arrived in dark suits befitting the “business formal” dress code, a handful appeared to have wandered in from golf.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

“If there’s a dress code, I respect the dress code,” Harris said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 Met Gala, including the date, start time, theme, dress code, guest list and how to livestream the event.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

This year’s abstract dress code, “Fashion Is Art,” encourages guests to treat the body as a canvas and “to express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

I didn’t know if Diego was joking about the dress code, but I would have worn clown shoes and a tutu to get out of my house.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson