tailor

[ tey-ler ]

/ ˈteɪ lər /

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See synonyms for: tailor / tailored / tailoring on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, especially suits, coats, and other outer garments.

verb (used with object)

to make by tailor's work.

to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc.: to tailor one's actions to those of another.

to fit or furnish with clothing.

Chiefly U.S. Military. to make (a uniform) to order; cut (a ready-made uniform) so as to cause to fit more snugly; taper.

verb (used without object)

to do the work of a tailor.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tailor

1250–1300; Middle English (noun) <Anglo-French tailour,Old French tailleor, equivalent to taill(ier) to cut (<Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea a cutting, literally, heel-piece; see tally) + -or-or²

Words nearby tailor

taille, Tailleferre, tailleur, taillight, tail off, tailor, tailorable, tailorbird, tailored, tailoring, tailor-made

Other definitions for tailor (2 of 2)

tailor²

[ tey-ler ]

/ ˈteɪ lər /

noun British Dialect.

a stroke of a bell indicating someone's death; knell.

Origin of tailor

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tailor in a sentence

It’s a way to get properly fitted clothing without a trip to the tailor, where social distancing is impossible, or having to try on clothes in crowded retail stores.
For Amazon’s $25 custom T-shirt, your body is a wonderland (of data)|Heather Kelly|January 5, 2021|Washington Post
I worked with my stylists and friends Marni Senofonte and Deonte Nash to create a custom look with our tailor Arturo and his daughter Christina from Rancho Tailors.
Cassie Is Pregnant With Her Second Child|Jasmine Grant|December 11, 2020|Essence.com
The team of milliners, tailors and textile experts has been studiously sewing face coverings since the spring, so everyone working on the 300-acre property, whether they’re maintenance or Martha Washington, has masks made on-site.
At tourist sites, masking up without diluting the experience|Vicky Hallett|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
Our next step is to combine cuts and folds, thereby becoming even better tailors.
A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane|Steve Nadis|October 26, 2020|Quanta Magazine

It can identify and reproduce the “chemical fingerprints” of aged liquors, he said, or tailor tastes, colors and aromas to specific requirements.
A Nespresso Machine for Whiskey|Daniel Malloy|October 9, 2020|Ozy
One minute the script, the next a story about Ivor Novello's tailor or the Tahiti steamer schedule in the Thirties.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had a tailor who ran up dozens of the same suit in different sizes to account for slight variations in his weight.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He looked, that dreadful afternoon, as if he had just come from his barber, tailor and haberdasher.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reason why these guys are so successful is because they have no egos, and specifically tailor the parts for the actor.
Dave Franco Uncut: The Actor on ’22 Jump Street,’ ‘The Room,’ and His Bro’s Nude Instagrams|Marlow Stern|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We should think about mental health more like how we tailor physical training routines.
Fixing Military Mental Healthcare|Marjorie Morrison|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tailor of the fairy tale with his "seven at a blow" is not in it with the gunnery Lieutenant of a battleship.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
But she is greatly interested in certain shops that she is buying out, and especially in her visits to her tailor.
Confidence|Henry James
Is a Tailor, that can make a new Coat well, the worse Workman, because he can mend an old one?
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope|Colley Cibber
Well, I am either a tailor or a cooper, and for the life of me I can't tell which: at any rate, I'm either one or the other.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Purt was gorgeous in a Canadian skating suitor so the tailor who sold it to him had called it.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for tailor

tailor

/ (ˈteɪlə) /

noun

a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswearRelated adjective: sartorial

a voracious and active marine food fish, Pomatomus saltator, of Australia with scissor-like teeth

verb

to cut or style (material, clothes, etc) to satisfy certain requirements

(tr) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specifiche tailored his speech to suit a younger audience

(intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor

Word Origin for tailor

C13: from Anglo-Norman taillour, from Old French taillier to cut, from Latin tālea a cutting; related to Greek talis girl of marriageable age

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

tailor

Origin of tailor

Words nearby tailor

Other definitions for tailor (2 of 2)

Origin of tailor

Words related to tailor

How to use tailor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tailor

Word Origin for tailor