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dress suit

American  
[dres soot] / ˈdrɛs ˌsut /

noun

  1. a formal or semiformal ensemble, typically for a man, with matching jacket and trousers, usually worn with a dress shirt and necktie, sometimes including a vest.

  2. a woman’s ensemble for semiformal or professional wear, comprising a jacket or blazer paired with a matching dress or skirt.


dress suit British  

noun

  1. an ensemble of matching formal evening wear

"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 suit

First recorded in 1800–10


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 Examples For:

Buying a new dress, suit or other formal outfit for each wedding just isn’t in our budget.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

It also may have been his own ironic interpretation of the unwritten Cannes rule that men should be "en smoking" -- the French term for a black-tie dress suit.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

Victoria Forbes and Mark Lyons carried the wedding dress, suit and climbing gear up Sgùrr Dearg.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2023

He gave Nuhn a dress suit and the hat he wore during his initial Army training.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 2, 2017

She sat in the front pew in a red dress suit, hands folded in her lap, listening to her husband preach about September 11.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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