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.
“He’s just kind of like, ‘throw me in a tux and let’s go,’ ” Hailey added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
The tux is black, which isn’t far from the standard Lynch uniform.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Barack had disappeared to take a shower and put on his tux.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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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.
