tux
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of tux
First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening
Explanation
A tux is a fancy black suit that you might wear, along with a bow tie, to your senior prom or your wedding. The word tux is a common North American shorthand for tuxedo. If you're invited to an elegant party that's "black tie only," that means you're expected to wear a long, dressy gown or a tux. Tux was first used in the 1920s. Tuxedo, coined in the late 1800s, was named for a fancy country club called Tuxedo Park, which comes from an Algonquian word — possibly p'tuck-sepo, or "crooked river."
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.
Bad Bunny went for a classic tux and bow tie.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
He’s getting married, and left his tux fitting to do his job once it was apparent there had been a shooting that involved a lawmaker.
From Slate • Jun. 17, 2025
He wore a white tux and she wore a wedding dress, which almost certainly means they are married.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025
As for that yeller tux, well, I can only hope Chalamet has hired someone for the express purpose of keeping any red wine drinkers as far away from him as possible.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2025
She’s maybe said twenty words to me, but the thought of Bo, in a tux, escorting her at the pageant turns me into this version of myself that makes my eyes burn.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
