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dressmaker

American  
[dres-mey-ker] / ˈdrɛsˌmeɪ kər /

noun

  • dressmakers
    plural
  1. a person whose occupation is the making or alteration of women's dresses, coats, etc.


adjective

  1. (of women's clothing) having soft lines or elaborate detail.

dressmaker British  
/ ˈdrɛsˌmeɪkə /

noun

  1. a person whose occupation is making clothes, esp for women

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of dressmaker

First recorded in 1795–1805; dress + maker

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:

Federal data show the typical annual wage for a dressmaker is about $43,000 a year, but some tailors and seamstresses can make more.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 21, 2026

Santoyo, the dressmaker, said the latest crisis "does bring the community together, helping each other through these tough times."

From Barron's Oct. 13, 2025

The latter, named after Tiana’s dressmaker mother, features housewares and New Orleans-themed decor.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 14, 2024

Ovations at the Met were a long way from small-town Adjud, Romania, where she was born in 1965 to a dressmaker mother and a train operator father.

From New York Times Apr. 7, 2023

She now bestowed one of her rare smiles on the dressmaker.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

The clothing industry also employed tens of thousands of people, from skilled tailors and dressmakers in upscale shops to widowed needlewomen working 16-hour days.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 12, 2026

As a finalist, she had to compete against five other teen dressmakers for votes.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 19, 2023

People who have worked at the Lido - from dancers to dressmakers, dressing room staff and backstage technicians - have an unusually personal attachment to the venue.

From Washington Times May 28, 2022

People who have worked at the Lido — from dancers to dressmakers, dressing room staff and backstage technicians — described the club with an unusually personal attachment.

From Seattle Times May 28, 2022

Goldsmiths, jewelers, dressmakers, whatever she wanted I found for her, but it was never enough Bear Island is rich in bears and trees, and poor in aught else.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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