dresser

[ dres-er ]

/ ˈdrɛs ər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for dresser on Thesaurus.com

noun

a dressing table or bureau.

a sideboard or set of shelves for dishes and cooking utensils.

Obsolete. a table or sideboard on which food is dressed for serving.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dresser

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dresso(u)r, dressur(e), “sideboard,” from Anglo-French; Middle French dresseur, Old French dreçor, dreceor(e), equivalent to dreci(ier) “to dress ” + -ore -ory²

Words nearby dresser

dress coat, dress code, dress-down, dress-down Friday, dressed to kill, dresser, dresser set, dress form, dress goods, dressing, dressing case

Other definitions for dresser (2 of 2)

dresser²

[ dres-er ]

/ ˈdrɛs ər /

noun

a person who dresses.

a person employed to dress actors, care for costumes, etc., at a theater, television studio, or the like.

Chiefly British. a surgeon's assistant.

a person who dresses in a particular manner, as specified: a fancy dresser;a careful and distinctive dresser.

any of several tools or devices used in dressing materials.

Metalworking.

a block, fitting into an anvil, on which pieces are forged.
a mallet for shaping sheet metal.

a tool for truing the surfaces of grinding wheels.

Origin of dresser

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “guide; director”; see origin at dress, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dresser in a sentence

Kanimba was horrified to see her dad — always an impeccable dresser — in such debilitated condition.
She escaped the genocide in Rwanda. Now, 27 years later, she can’t escape its politics.|Petula Dvorak|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
These workstations can transform a kitchen table, coffee table, or dresser into a productivity center.
Best home office desk: Standing desks, office tables, and more|PopSci Commerce Team|February 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Radcliff said that in her two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, she is currently using the top of her dresser in her bedroom as a desk while using a dining room chair as a seat.
‘Let’s survive a pandemic together’: Roommates are struggling with realities of sharing space 24/7|Kayleigh Barber|January 15, 2021|Digiday
He placed a television on a dresser, eye-height, and paced around the room.
‘Bills Mafia’ waited a generation for a team like this. It’s had to embrace it from afar.|Adam Kilgore|January 7, 2021|Washington Post

She gets Sarah to come to town for opening night and be her dresser, for old time’s sake.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained|Constance Grady|November 20, 2020|Vox
As a child, he remembers watching his father, “a very sharp dresser,” add the final touches to his suits—a tie.
Miami’s Chris Bosh Goes High Fashion|Justin Jones|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The room held a sizable amount of old, worn furniture: the bed, a studio couch, three stuffed chairs, a chifforobe and a dresser.
Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis|Stanley Booth|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pop music, much like a teenager with a dresser full of training bras and her first summer job, is going through a lot changes.
Mariah Carey Is the Last of the Traditional Divas|Phoebe Robinson|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Petersen was a convener of people, known on multiple continents as a careful thinker, dynamic speaker, and dapper dresser.
Alexandros Petersen, 1984-2014|Josh Rogin|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kate might also want to think about taking a dresser or a lady's maid.
Situation Vacant: Kate and William Seek New Nanny For George|Tom Sykes|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dorothy turned to the dresser, and a strange expression came over her face.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
Why, Tip says she's the best-lookin' woman in the walley, and that she's a terrible tasty dresser.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Then she looked more hopeful as her eyes rested on Betty, who was sorting the contents of a too-crowded dresser drawer.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
"And so we had," said Betty, closing the dresser drawer with a bang and coming unexpectedly to her aid.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
He was a swagger dresser and more marked than many because he was strikingly handsome.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dresser (1 of 2)

dresser¹

/ (ˈdrɛsə) /

noun

a set of shelves, usually also with cupboards or drawers, for storing or displaying dishes, etc

US a chest of drawers for storing clothing in a bedroom or dressing room, often having a mirror on the top

Word Origin for dresser

C14 dressour, from Old French dreceore, from drecier to arrange; see dress

British Dictionary definitions for dresser (2 of 2)

dresser²

/ (ˈdrɛsə) /

noun

a person who dresses in a specified waya fashionable dresser

theatre a person employed to assist actors in putting on and taking off their costumes

a tool used for dressing stone or other materials

British a person who assists a surgeon during operations

British See window-dresser

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

dresser

Origin of dresser

Words nearby dresser

Other definitions for dresser (2 of 2)

Origin of dresser

Words related to dresser

How to use dresser in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dresser (1 of 2)

Word Origin for dresser

British Dictionary definitions for dresser (2 of 2)