dressing

[ dres-ing ]

/ ˈdrɛs ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dressing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that dresses.

a sauce for food: salad dressing.

stuffing for a fowl: turkey dressing.

material used to dress or cover a wound.

manure, compost, or other fertilizers.

the ornamental detail of a building, especially that around openings.

Nearby words

dress-up, dressage, dressed to kill, dresser, dresser set, dressing, dressing case, dressing forceps, dressing glass, dressing gown, dressing room

Origin of dressing

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at dress, -ing¹

Definition for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

[ dres ]

/ drɛs /

noun

an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.

clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.

formal attire.

a particular form of appearance; guise.

outer covering, as the plumage of birds.

adjective

of or for a dress or dresses.

of or for a formal occasion.

requiring formal dress.

verb (used with object), dressed or drest, dress·ing.

to put clothing upon.

to put formal or evening clothes on.

to trim; ornament; adorn: to dress a store window; to dress a Christmas tree.

to design clothing for or sell clothes to.

to comb out and do up (hair).

to cut up, trim, and remove the skin, feathers, viscera, etc., from (an animal, meat, fowl, or flesh of a fowl) for market or for cooking (often followed by out when referring to a large animal): We dressed three chickens for the dinner. He dressed out the deer when he got back to camp.

to prepare (skins, fabrics, timber, stone, ore, etc.) by special processes.

to apply medication or a dressing to (a wound or sore).

to make straight; bring (troops) into line: to dress ranks.

to make (stone, wood, or other building material) smooth.

to cultivate (land, fields, etc.).

Theater. to arrange (a stage) by effective placement of properties, scenery, actors, etc.

to ornament (a vessel) with ensigns, house flags, code flags, etc.: The bark was dressed with masthead flags only.

Angling.

to prepare or bait (a fishhook) for use.
to prepare (bait, especially an artificial fly) for use.

Printing. to fit (furniture) around and between pages in a chase prior to locking it up.

to supply with accessories, optional features, etc.: to have one's new car fully dressed.

verb (used without object), dressed or drest, dress·ing.

to clothe or attire oneself; put on one's clothes: Wake up and dress, now!

to put on or wear formal or fancy clothes: to dress for dinner.

to come into line, as troops.

to align oneself with the next soldier, marcher, dancer, etc., in line.

Verb Phrases

dress down,

to reprimand; scold.
to thrash; beat.
to dress informally or less formally: to dress down for the shipboard luau.

dress up,

to put on one's best or fanciest clothing; dress relatively formally: They were dressed up for the Easter parade.
to dress in costume or in another person's clothes: to dress up in Victorian clothing; to dress up as Marie Antoinette.
to embellish or disguise, especially in order to make more appealing or acceptable: to dress up the facts with colorful details.

Origin of dress

1275–1325; Middle English dressen < Anglo-French dresser, dresc(i)er, to arrange, prepare, Old French drecier < Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre, derivative of Latin dīrēctus direct; noun use of v. in sense “attire” from circa 1600

SYNONYMS FOR dress

1 frock.

2 raiment, attire, clothes, habit, garments, vestments, habiliments.

9 clothe, robe, garb.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dress ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

half-dressed, adjectiveout·dress, verb (used with object)

Synonym study

1. Dress, costume, gown refer to garments for women. Dress is the general term for a garment: a black dress. Costume is used of the style of dress appropriate to some occasion, purpose, period, or character, especially as used on the stage, at balls, at court, or the like, and may apply to men's garments as well: an 18th-century costume. Gown is usually applied to a dress more expensive and elegant than the ordinary, usually long, to be worn on a special occasion: a wedding gown.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dressing

He once experimented with dressing as “Hilda the Wicked Witch” as a way to expand his business to Halloween.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus|Ben Jacobs|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Followers had traveled many miles to mourn the loss, and aid in the ritual washing, dressing, and honoring of the body.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families|Abby Haglage|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Women are berated—and berate themselves—for dressing too sexily.
In Defense of Slut-O-Ween|Emily Shire|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We say our hellos, and he guides me backstage, up three flights of stairs, and into his dressing room.
The Revival of Kieran Culkin: A Reluctant Star Seizes the Spotlight|Marlow Stern|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Katy Perry was admonished for dressing up as an angel while tailing her grandmother to an event.
Melissa Rivers: Life After Joan—A Funny, Moving Celebration on a Special 'Fashion Police'|Tim Teeman|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had classical proportions and nice shaping and dressing in stone.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly
Allow to become cold, and serve in salad bowl with French dressing, or mayonnaise sauce.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
But he soon dashed them away, and, rising, set about dressing his wound.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes|William Perry Brown
Dressing for dinner was a custom that had been adopted by the Kane family in the last few years.
Jennie Gerhardt|Theodore Dreiser
Yes; on the dressing table, where she always had the letters left for her.
Gwen Wynn|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for dressing (1 of 2)

dressing

/ (ˈdrɛsɪŋ) /

noun

a sauce for food, esp for salad

US and Canadian a mixture of chopped and seasoned ingredients with which poultry, meat, etc, is stuffed before cookingAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): stuffing

a covering for a wound, sore, etc

manure or artificial fertilizer spread on land

size used for stiffening textiles

the processes in the conversion of certain rough tanned hides into leather ready for use

British Dictionary definitions for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

/ (drɛs) /

verb

to put clothes on (oneself or another); attire

(intr)

to change one's clothes
to wear formal or evening clothes

(tr) to provide (someone) with clothing; clothe

(tr) to arrange merchandise in (a shop window) for effective display

(tr) to comb out or arrange (the hair) into position

(tr) to apply protective or therapeutic covering to (a wound, sore, etc)

(tr) to prepare (food, esp fowl and fish) for cooking or serving by cleaning, trimming, gutting, etc

(tr) to put a finish on (the surface of stone, metal, etc)

(tr) to till and cultivate (land), esp by applying manure, compost, or fertilizer

(tr) to prune and trim (trees, bushes, etc)

(tr) to groom (an animal, esp a horse)

(tr) to convert (tanned hides) into leather

(tr) archaic to spay or neuter (an animal)

angling to tie (a fly)

military to bring (troops) into line or (of troops) to come into line (esp in the phrase dress ranks)

dress ship nautical to decorate a vessel by displaying all signal flags on lines run from the bow to the stern over the mast trucks

noun

a one-piece garment for a woman, consisting of a skirt and bodice

complete style of clothing; costumeformal dress; military dress

(modifier) suitable or required for a formal occasiona dress shirt

the outer covering or appearance, esp of living thingstrees in their spring dress of leaves

Word Origin for dress

C14: from Old French drecier, ultimately from Latin dīrigere to direct

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

Medicine definitions for dressing (1 of 2)

dressing

[ drĕs′ĭng ]

n.

A therapeutic or protective material applied to a wound.

Medicine definitions for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

[ drĕs ]

v.

To apply medication, bandages, or other therapeutic materials to an area of the body such as a wound.

dressing

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dressing

Definition for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), dressed or drest, dress·ing.

verb (used without object), dressed or drest, dress·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of dress

SYNONYMS FOR dress

Related forms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for dressing

British Dictionary definitions for dressing (1 of 2)

dressing

noun

British Dictionary definitions for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

verb

noun

Word Origin for dress

Medicine definitions for dressing (1 of 2)

dressing

n.

Medicine definitions for dressing (2 of 2)

dress

v.