From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdressdress1 /dres/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 [countable]DCC a piece of clothing worn by a woman or girl that covers the top of her body and part or all of her legs → skirt Sheila wore a long red dress. a summer dress► see thesaurus at clothes2 [uncountable]DC clothes for men or women of a particular type or for a particular occasion a gentleman in evening dress (=formal clothes worn especially at important social events) The play was performed in modern dress (=clothes from the present time).dress code (=a standard of what you should wear for a particular situation) This restaurant has a strict dress code – no tie, no service.COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + dress a wedding dressHave you chosen your wedding dress yet?an evening dress (=a formal dress to wear in the evening)She arrived in a red evening dress.a cocktail dress (=a formal dress but not usually a long one)She wore a little black cocktail dress.a silk/cotton/velvet etc dressEllie chose a green silk dress.a long dress (=that goes down to your ankles)Most of the women were wearing long dresses.a party dress (=for parties)I need a new party dress for Christmas.a summer dressa cool blue summer dressa strapless dress (=that does not have straps on your shoulders)She was wearing a strapless cream dress and matching shoes.a sleeveless dress (=without any sleeves)She was photographed wearing a figure-hugging sleeveless dress.dress + NOUNa dress shop (=selling women’s dresses and other clothes)It was an expensive dress shop.a dress designer (=someone whose job is designing women’s clothes)She’s a former royal dress designer.
Examples from the Corpus
dress• And for each of the 15 girls buying dresses, there is an escort in need of a tuxedo.• Arrested for attending Quaker and Seeker meetings, he was excused by a judge who noted his fine dress.• Her dress was sticking uncomfortably to her back and her palms were wet.• Do you like my new dress?• Minna, as if she were proving some point, wore an old dress and had not bothered-to comb her hair properly.• Your spokesman will also need some advice on dress for television.• Anita's dress, £180, Karen Boyd.• The first time I meet her, I wear an unflattering dress.dress code• Usually, there is something behind a dress code, some reasoning.• I have discovered a dress code among Labour party members.• Instead of simplifying life, relaxed business dress codes have become an expensive and troublesome burden.• At the most obvious level there are different dress codes to denote masculine and feminine genders.• It's a cool drinking venue, with a noir dress code observed by the arty crowd and staff.• The elegance and grace of riding side-saddle is reiterated in the dress code.• I knew the language, the dress codes, what the leisure weekend activites were.dressdress2 ●●● S2 W2 verb 1 put on clothes [intransitive, transitive] to put clothes on yourself or someone else Can you wait a minute? I’m just getting dressed. She dressed quickly and went out of the house. I usually have to dress the kids in the mornings.dress somebody in something She dressed Louis in his best blue shirt.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say get dressed rather than dress:I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.2 wear clothes [intransitive]DC to wear a particular kind of clothes Dress warmly if you’re going out for a walk.dress casually/smartly I spend most of my time in the house with young children, so I dress casually.dress for How do you normally dress for work? We usually dress for dinner (=wear formal clothes for our evening meal).3 make/choose clothes [transitive]DC to make or choose clothes for someone Versace dressed some of the most famous people in Hollywood.4 wound/cut etcMH [transitive] to clean, treat, and cover a wound5 meat/fishDFC [transitive] to clean and prepare meat or fish so that it is ready to cook or eat dressed crab 6 saladDFC [transitive] to put oil, vinegar, salt etc onto a salad7 window [transitive] to put an attractive arrangement in a shop window → window dresser8 SOLDIERSsoldiers [intransitive, transitive]PMW technical to stand in a straight line, or to make soldiers do this9 hairHAIR [transitive] formalDC to arrange someone’s hair into a special style10 wood/stone etcTI [transitive] technical to prepare or put a special surface onto wood, stone, leather etc → dress down → dress up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
dress• He dresses and acts more like a 36-year-old electrical engineer.• It's a costume party, so she's dressing as a clown.• How do most of the people dress at your office?• Patty's just learning to dress herself.• I didn't dress it up; no wonder she took it as life letting her down once more.• Can you dress the kids while I make breakfast?• Dress the salad with lemon, olive oil, and a little black pepper.• Ask Mom if she needs help dressing the turkey.• Clean the area thoroughly before dressing the wound.• Check that those who can dress themselves are coping.• Dress warmly - it's cold out.dress for dinner• Jim and William Reid don't dress for dinner.• Tea was served at four-thirty, and after tea everybody would rush upstairs to dress for dinner.• He was dressed for dinner and she knew without doubt that they were not going to be invited to join him.• While we were dressing for dinner, Jasper spent a long time trying to teach me how to tie it.• It occurs to me tonight, waiting for Dominic to dress for dinner, that I never saw that map.Origin dress2 (1300-1400) Old French dresser “to arrange”, from Latin directus “straight”; → DIRECT1 