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sundress

American  
[suhn-dres] / ˈsʌnˌdrɛs /

noun

sundresses plural
  1. a dress with a bodice styled to expose the arms, shoulders, and back, for wear during hot weather.


sundress British  
/ ˈsʌnˌdrɛs /

noun

  1. a dress for hot weather that exposes the shoulders, arms, and back, esp one with straps over the shoulders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of sundress

First recorded in 1940–45; sun + dress

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:

Every spring, I get the urge to buy something new: a sundress, a pretty blouse or something hopeful after a long, drab winter.

From Salon Apr. 25, 2025

Lindhome said she wore a white sundress that she bought from the Macy’s at the Glendale Galleria and Armisen wore a suit.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 18, 2024

“I bought three new pairs of jeans. I wore a sundress for the first time in a decade,” she says.

From Scientific American Oct. 16, 2023

The black and white photo showed a woman in a striped sundress and headscarf holding a little boy in her lap.

From Fox News Dec. 12, 2021

Ethan’s in gym shorts and a Milton High T-shirt, and Jessie’s in a sundress, and they’re both carrying duffel bags.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Many wore sundresses, cowboy boots, leopard print and, to comply with tight security, plastic see-through purses.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 25, 2025

Which was, in fact, already set up across the room—it was just covered in sundresses and tops.

From Slate Jun. 1, 2025

Although this week’s hot weather may have prompted an early appearance of flip-flops and sundresses, forecasters warn this stretch of heat isn’t indicative of an early start to springtime.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 27, 2025

"Oh really? Well, I'm packing all my sundresses now," she laughs down the phone from her home in Los Angeles.

From BBC Jun. 22, 2023

She stops by another vendor selling sundresses for seven dollars each.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat

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