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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.


dress code British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 how Bad Bunny, Cher and more interpreted the dress code ‘fashion is art’

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 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

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams are the co-chairs for this year's gala, which has the dress code: "Fashion is art."

From BBC • May 3, 2026

In “At the Derby,” the dress code at Churchill Downs is displayed in all its over-the-top glory.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

The school had abandoned uniforms a while back, but the dress code was still pretty strict.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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