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• full dress
  full dress

  noun

  the formal attire customarily worn in the evening, usually consisting of black tailcoats and white bow ties for men, and floor-length dresses for women.
• full-dress
  full-dress

  adjective

  formal and complete in all details.

full dress

¹ American  

noun

1. the formal attire customarily worn in the evening, usually consisting of black tailcoats and white bow ties for men, and floor-length dresses for women.

2. a ceremonial style of dress.

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full-dress ² American  

[fool-dres] / ˈfʊlˌdrɛs /

adjective

1. formal and complete in all details.

   a full-dress uniform.

2. done or presented completely or thoroughly.

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full dress British  

noun

1. 1. a formal or ceremonial style of dress, such as white tie and tails for a man and a full-length evening dress for a woman

   2. ( as modifier )

      full-dress uniform

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Etymology

Origin of full dress¹

First recorded in 1755–65

Origin of full-dress²

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

full dress full-dress

She met her future husband while appearing with him in operas in which she had only seen him in full dress in elderly roles.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 22, 2023

Earlier, outside the hall in front of me was a full dress rehearsal for the Queen's state funeral - the Horse Guards with their shining helmets and the red sashes coming down from them.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2022

But to see him in full dress and going full go was impressive.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

“Our plan is to live stream our first full dress rehearsal,” said Bettina DeBell, the school’s drama director.

From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2020

For the cast it would be something more than a full dress rehearsal because of a full live audience.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

The second was a dazzling full-dress demo normally provided only to potential corporate customers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

“Any full-dress ruling would likely not come until the next term.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025

There’s also a full-dress rundown on homemade nuoc cham dipping sauces and a guide to ingredients.

From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2022

There are several impressive, full-dress biographies of Hitchcock, but Edward White’s thoughtful and nuanced book takes a different approach.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2021

But Dad hated unprintable words, and the fact that he had stood up for his son didn’t prevent him from holding a full-dress court of inquiry once he got home, and administering the called-for punishment.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey