in drag

Idioms

Wearing clothes normally worn by the opposite sex, as in All of the actors in the revue were in drag. This expression originally alluded to male actors wearing women's apparel on stage, especially for comic purposes, but also refers to cross-dressing by homosexuals. [Colloquial; c. 1870]

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.

Oh, and there he was dancing again, in drag, in Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears” video.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

"She has such a craft and such an art to what she does in drag," he said.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025

CD: How do you think your roots in drag culture informs what you create today?

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

One of the series' standout moments was when La Voix's dad Richard joined her for the family resemblance challenge, where the queens are tasked with putting a loved one in drag.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

That certain way is to express my story of who I am in drag.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023