tailor
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
tailors,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tailored,
past participle, past
-
tailoring
present participle
-
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)
-
tailors,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tailored,
past participle, past
-
tailoring
present participle
noun
noun
-
a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear
-
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 specific
he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience
-
(intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tailorsimple
-
tailorssimple
-
have tailoredperfect
-
has tailoredperfect
-
am tailoringprogressive
-
are tailoringprogressive
-
is tailoringprogressive
-
have been tailoringperfect progressive
-
has been tailoringperfect progressive
Past
-
tailoredsimple
-
had tailoredperfect
-
was tailoringprogressive
-
were tailoringprogressive
-
had been tailoringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing tailor
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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:
Countries were also encouraged to tailor insurance schemes or subsidies for under-served communities and to incorporate inequality indicators into their national health systems.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
“TDFs are more of a blanket approach to saving. In retirement, you want a personalized approach that can tailor your withdrawal strategy to your personal situation. A TDF can’t give you that.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Made in collaboration with designer and tailor Alex Navarro and stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn and paid for by a mysterious benefactor Monáe has called “a fairy Halloween mother.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Fabric is imported from Thailand and Vietnam before a specialist tailor makes a sample for other employees to follow.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
He gave Charles and me his old suits by the armload; he was taller than Charles, and thinner than both of us, and we would have them altered by a tailor in town.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Now, with AI, an attacker can design a worm that tailors the attack strategy to that device's specifics and these vulnerabilities can be different.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The dishwasher camera tailors washes for optimal energy efficiency and finally solves the mystery of what goes on inside there during the cycle.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Vietnam has no shortage of highly skilled tailors and hand embroiderers, but many of them are overlooked and do not receive the income they deserve," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
They created ready-to-wear suits, opened retail stores and created a reputation for unparalleled craftsmanship at a far lower price point than the tailors of Savile Row.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Our village at the edge of the Białowieża Forest was made up of farmers and blacksmiths, butchers and tailors, teachers and shopkeepers.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
In part because the court tailored its decision to Bob Jones’s exceptional facts, the IRS has seldom exercised its court-created authority to deny schools tax exemption based on discrimination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Although further research is needed before these findings can change routine clinical care, they provide a promising foundation for more accurate risk assessments and treatments tailored to each child's cancer.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Daniels felt the rules were capricious, and perhaps personally tailored to obstruct her: the prohibition on props, the three-minute time limit, the penalty of “trespass” for those in violation.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Such hypothetical benefits include progress in healthcare, like the development of bespoke treatments for illnesses and improved disease detection, tailored education and legal advice and making more efficient power grids and batteries.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Her father inspired trust with his perfectly tailored suits that were made less stuffy because he never wore a tie and always left the collar open.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
In her statement, Somerville said tackling poverty was at the heart of the Scottish government's plans for public service reform including tailoring services for individual needs in an approach known as "whole-family support".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The focus on big SUVs is part of a broader strategic shift by European carmakers toward tailoring vehicles to specific regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Rather than modernizing the home through an extensive renovation, however, the couple chose to preserve its midcentury character while tailoring other elements of the dwelling to their lifestyle.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
While the first two seasons often presented Lestat through structured tailoring and muted palettes, Season 3 arrives in a much louder world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
He ignored Jesper’s stung expression and doled kruge out to Wylan for explosives and to Nina for whatever she’d need in her tailoring kit.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
