fashion
Americannoun
-
fashions
plural
-
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc..
the latest fashion in dresses.
-
conventional usage in dress, manners, etc., especially of polite society, or conformity to it.
the dictates of fashion; to be out of fashion.
-
manner; way; mode.
in a warlike fashion.
-
the make or form of anything.
He liked the fashion of the simple, sturdy furniture.
-
a kind; sort.
All fashions of people make up the world.
-
Obsolete. workmanship.
-
Obsolete. act or process of making.
verb (used with object)
-
fashions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fashioned,
past participle, past
-
fashioning
present participle
idioms
noun
-
-
style in clothes, cosmetics, behaviour, etc, esp the latest or most admired style
-
( as modifier )
a fashion magazine
-
-
(modifier) (esp of accessories) designed to be in the current fashion, but not necessarily to last
-
-
manner of performance; mode; way
in a striking fashion
-
( in combination )
crab-fashion
-
-
a way of life that revolves around the activities, dress, interests, etc, that are most fashionable
-
shape, appearance, or form
-
sort; kind; type
-
-
in some manner, but not very well
I mended it, after a fashion
-
of a low order; of a sort
he is a poet, after a fashion
-
-
like; similar to
-
of high social standing
verb
-
to give a particular form to
-
to make suitable or fitting
-
obsolete to contrive; manage
Usage
What is a basic definition of fashion? Fashion is a popular style or trend of something, especially clothing. Fashion is also the general conventions of politeness that society conforms to or an attitude or manner. Fashion can also mean to create something. Fashion has several other senses as a noun and a verb. Fashion means a popular trend or a style, especially when it comes to clothing. Real-life examples: Supermodels display the latest fashions of designer clothing on catwalks. Fashion magazines discuss the most popular clothing styles. We often look back with nostalgia (or embarrassment) of popular fashions of clothing, dance, and music of past decades. Used in a sentence: The pop singer only wore clothes that were of the latest fashions. More generally, fashion is used to refer to what society as a whole considers to be acceptable dress, manners, or etiquette. In this sense, something is often said to be “in fashion” or “out of fashion.” In both this and the previous sense, the word fashionable describes something or someone that conforms to popular fashions. Real-life example: The word groovy was once a popular word to mean something was great or excellent. Today, groovy has largely fallen out of fashion. If you use it, you may be considered out of touch with popular slang. Used in a sentence: Ripped jeans came back in fashion after the popular singer started wearing them. Fashion is a manner or attitude. This sense is often written as “in a … fashion.”Used in a sentence: The man walked through the mall in a sloth-like fashion. Fashion also means to create or build something. This sense often implies that you put something together quickly or had to use whatever parts were available. Used in a sentence: The stranded sailor fashioned a fishing rod out of a stick and twine.
Synonym Usage
Fashion, style, vogue imply popularity or widespread acceptance of manners, customs, dress, etc. Fashion is that which characterizes or distinguishes the habits, manners, dress, etc., of a period or group: the fashions of the 18th century. Style is sometimes the equivalent of fashion, but also denotes conformance to a prevalent standard: to be in style; a chair in the Queen Anne style. Vogue suggests the temporary popularity of certain fashions: this year's vogue in popular music.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
antifashionnoun
-
fashionernoun
-
misfashionnoun
-
transfashionnoun
-
prefashionverb (used with object)
-
refashionverb (used with object)
-
fashionlessadjective
-
misfashionedadjective
-
prefashionedadjective
-
unfashionedadjective
-
well-fashionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fashionsimple
-
fashionssimple
-
have fashionedperfect
-
has fashionedperfect
-
am fashioningprogressive
-
are fashioningprogressive
-
is fashioningprogressive
-
have been fashioningperfect progressive
-
has been fashioningperfect progressive
Past
-
fashionedsimple
-
had fashionedperfect
-
was fashioningprogressive
-
were fashioningprogressive
-
had been fashioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fashion
First recorded in 1300–1350; Middle English facioun, fasoun “shape, manner,” from Anglo-French faço(u)n, façun, Old French faceon, from Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō ) “a making, company, party.” See faction 1
Explanation
The word fashion has to do with customs and trends. Popular clothes are in fashion. And someone who keeps up with the latest styles is a follower of fashion. The most common use of fashion is to describe the hippest, trendiest clothes and music — we say popular things are in fashion. But this word can also refer to a way something is done, as in "We train dogs in a certain fashion." To fashion something means to build it, as in "We fashioned a shelter out of rocks and mud." But that kind of fashioning probably isn't in fashion these days.
Vocabulary lists containing fashion
Beowulf vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Academy Awards, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Piccioli's departure after just one and a half years on the job comes as Kering has shaken up management as it tries to turn around its struggling fashion conglomerate.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
He went on to work for fashion magazine's British Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
But my mother’s lesson transcended the rules of fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Cruise organizers made the best of it in Hallmark fashion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Her sharp cheekbones and arched eyebrows make her look like the personification of high fashion.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The home even features an area Holly lovingly refers to as her “Rapunzel tower turret,” which includes a walk-in closet filled with her favorite fashions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Shein has grown hugely popular, especially with younger customers, due to its ability to source the very latest fashions at ultra-low prices through a vast network of factories in China.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The actress’s book collection represented the literary fashions of her day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Set in the 1960s, the colorful retro fashions hang off her skeletal frame.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
I’m going to introduce three fascinating kinds of people I call Mavens, Connectors, and Salesmen, who play a critical role in the word-of-mouth epidemics that dictate our tastes and trends and fashions.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
For example, instead of a living room, they fashioned a swanky cocktail lounge complete with a custom bar, a Yamaha piano, and retro swivel chairs.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
If he does make it to Chiclayo, the pope will be able to indulge his famously sweet tooth with an array of goodies fashioned in his likeness.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
She pulled out her phone to show me some of her work, which included garments she’d fashioned out of Trader Joe’s tote bags.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Mikel Arteta has fashioned many versions of Arsenal.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
During the following 337 years before the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in 1863, an institution of enormous brutality was fashioned, its cumbersome legal underpinnings growing over the centuries.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
And here, Walker and Auen offer theirs, fashioning academia into a key that opens a portal to the past, present and future.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
"Chaplain Emma Roberts, 54, and the Labour chief, 56, share the same haircut, brows, thick-rimmed specs and smile," the paper reports, fashioning a game of "spot the difference".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We are really hitting our stride,” said Chief Executive Hillary Super, who has been fashioning a turnaround at the lingerie and apparel retailer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
At least that’s what Rubino says; she’s putting a special stuffed toy in one basket she’s fashioning, alongside the socks and underwear.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
He set to work fashioning for himself a kingly cape made out of a scrap of the red tablecloth.
From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
