the art, act, or technique of trimming the display windows of a store.
misrepresentation of something, so as to give a favorable impression.
The company's list of assets included a great deal of window dressing.
the ornamentation of shop windows, designed to attract customers
the pleasant, showy, or false aspect of an idea, policy, etc, which is stressed to conceal the real or unpleasant nature; façade
First recorded in 1780–90
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I think that irrational exuberance that we saw in the dot com era … is just window dressing to cloak what, to me, is normalizing an addictive behavior in our society,” he said.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
In “Undertone,” all of the horror tropes are window dressing — elements to stimulate the eye while Tuason plays with the ear.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
"I am not here for window dressing," she declares.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
That meant Hany Mukhtar's strike in the 11th and final minute of stoppage time was nothing but window dressing.
From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025
I was window dressing in case someone came by.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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.
