fancy dress

American  

noun

fancy dresses plural

1. a costume for a ball, masquerade, etc., chosen to please the fancy, usually a costume characteristic of a particular period or place, class of persons, or historical or fictitious character.

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fancy dress British  

noun

1. 1. costume worn at masquerades, etc, usually representing a particular role, historical figure, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fancy-dress ball

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fancy dresses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fancy dress

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fancy dress

A masquerade without masks is merely fancy dress with an open bar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

The inaugural event was designed for club runners but evolved to include everyone from elite entrants to those in weird and wonderful fancy dress, raising money for charity.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Brazilian police have disguised themselves using fancy dress to blend in as Carnival-goers to target phone thieves in Rio de Janeiro.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026

James lost his life after going to watch cricket in fancy dress, when England played a Test match at Trent Bridge in July 2011.

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026

The girl who had dressed for the fancy dress ball the night before had been left behind.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• apparel
• regalia