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Synonyms

dress shirt

American  

noun

  1. a man's shirt worn for formal or semiformal evening dress, usually having French cuffs and a stiff or pleated front to be fastened with studs.

  2. a man's shirt, buttoning down the front and typically having long sleeves with barrel or French cuffs, and a soft or starched collar, worn with a necktie.


dress shirt British  

noun

  1. a man's shirt, usually white, worn as part of formal evening dress, usually having a stiffened or decorative front

"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

Etymology

Origin of dress shirt

First recorded in 1890–95

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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.

Texas Rep. Nate Schatzline’s energy was palpable as he gazed out from the video on the computer screen, grinning ear to ear, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up.

From Salon • Nov. 11, 2025

Presiding over the festivities was Frank Seddio, the club’s 79-year-old chairman, who was wearing suspenders and a monogrammed dress shirt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

One of the more vulnerable moments the film manages to capture comes when Federer wears the wrong dress shirt to a photo call.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

After arriving in a police van, Alves took a seat in the courtroom dressed in a white dress shirt and a pair of jeans.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024

He’s eight years old and dressed in a white dress shirt and black dress slacks that are both too big for him.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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