dress-down

American  

[dres-doun] / ˈdrɛsˌdaʊn /

adjective

1. pertaining to or being a policy that allows employees to dress less formally than usual.

   dress-down days during the summer.

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dress down British  

verb

1. informal (tr) to reprimand severely or scold (a person)

2. (intr) to dress in a casual or informal manner, esp at work

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dress down Idioms  

1. Scold, reprimand, as in The sergeant will dress down the entire unit . In the 15th century the verb dress alone was used in the sense of “punish,” down being added several centuries later. It also gave rise to the noun dressing down for punishment with blows or words. For example, The teacher gave the girls a severe dressing down .

2. Wear informal clothes, as in It's best to dress down for a party like a barbecue . [Mid-1900s] For the antonym, see dress up .

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Etymology

Origin of dress-down

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Rosalía wisely recruited the swooning Mexican American sierreña trio, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, to help her better emulate a Paquita La Del Barrio dress-down of a lover gone astray.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

He repeated the words “I’m comin'” at least a dozen times, and had players chant words such as “smart!” “tough!” and “disciplined!” after the dress-down.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2023

We have dress-down Fridays, which now becomes dress down every day of the week.

From Slate • Jan. 24, 2018

It’s nice on a windy day; it’s nice for a dress-up; it’s nice for a dress-down.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2017

Dress-down Friday has become dress-down every day in many workplaces, although people who deal with the public are usually still expected to don a tie every morning.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2017