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

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Etymology

Origin of fancy dress

First recorded in 1760–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fancy dress

"We make half of our turnover in October, and one third comes from the week of Halloween alone," said David Gaze, owner at Chaplins fancy dress shop in Bristol.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

"We've noticed they want to come in fancy dress now, they want to become characters themselves."

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Chaplins has been a staple in the city centre for 35 years, back when people wore fancy dress on New Year's Eve.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

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

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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Related Words

• apparel
• regalia

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