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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

Freezing weather meant Nasa had to postpone the first full dress rehearsal as it was too cold to fuel the SLS rocket.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

I had a full dress with a Cinderella icon on it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026

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

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

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

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

She is not, in short, a prime candidate for a full-dress biography, yet somehow Carrie Courogen has pulled it off.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024

A rich perfume wafts through the sixth floor of the Museum of Modern Art, where the installation of Ed Ruscha’s full-dress survey “Now Then” is underway.

From New York Times ● Sep. 1, 2023

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

“General Peckem even recommends that we send our men into combat in full-dress uniform so they’ll make a good impression on the enemy when they’re shot down.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller