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

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

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

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

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

And the little line about myself at the bottom, saying who Maxim had married as his second wife, and how he had just given the fancy dress ball at Manderley.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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Related Words

• apparel
• regalia

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