tailor

¹ American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to make by tailor's work.

2. to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc..

   to tailor one's actions to those of another.

3. to fit or furnish with clothing.

4. 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)

1. to do the work of a tailor.

tailor ² American  

[tey-ler] / ˈteɪ lər /

noun

British Dialect.

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

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tailor British  

/ ˈteɪlə /

noun

1. a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear

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

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verb

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

2. (tr) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific

   he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience

3. (intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor

Etymology

Origin of tailor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor, from taill(ier) “to cut” (from Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea “rod, cutting,” literally, “heel-piece”; see tally) + -or -or ²

Origin of tailor²

Alteration by folk etymology of teller

Explanation

A tailor helps make your clothes fit you better. Similarly, when you tailor something to the needs of others, you are adjusting what you do to best suit them rather than taking a general approach. The word tailor comes from the Latin taliare, meaning "to cut." A tailor is someone who cuts and adjusts your clothing to better fit. When you tailor a jacket, you have it taken in to better suit your physique. But tailor isn't used strictly in reference to clothing. For example, a restaurant might tailor an order for a vegetarian by getting rid of the meat in a portion. A teacher might tailor a lesson plan to the demands of her ESL students.

Example Sentences

A deeper understanding of how these lasers behave could help scientists improve their stability and tailor them more effectively for specialized applications.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

“But we see many other plausible opportunities to tailor medicines to different groups. As you noted, retatrutide is one of those ideas, which very obviously could play to individuals who are seeking greater weight loss.”

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

He says that before his arrest he was training to become a tailor and would have finished by now and set up his own business.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

But Yusuf Bagana, a tailor who survived the strike, said it was operating normally.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

So too it was painful to go out by night... a tailor could see to thread his needle without a lamp.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• accommodate
• adapt
• alter
• conform
• fit
• modify