- 1 [uncountable, countable] a popular style of clothes, hair, etc. at a particular time or place; the state of being popular dressed in the latest fashion the new season’s fashions Long skirts have come into fashion again. Jeans are still in fashion. Some styles never go out of fashion. CollocationsClothes and fashionClothes be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/fur/uniform be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/leather/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes) be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion be dressed as a man/woman/clown/pirate wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes wear jewellery/(especially US English) jewelry/accessories/a watch/glasses/contact lenses/perfume have a cowboy hat/red dress/blue suit on put on/take off your clothes/coat/shoes/helmet pull on/pull off your coat/gloves/socks change into/get changed into a pair of jeans/your pyjamas/(especially US English) your pajamasAppearance change/enhance/improve your appearance create/get/have/give something a new/contemporary/retro look brush/comb/shampoo/wash/blow-dry your hair have/get a haircut/your hair cut/a new hairstyle have/get a piercing/your nose pierced have/get a tattoo/a tattoo done (on your arm)/a tattoo removed have/get a makeover/cosmetic surgery use/wear/apply/put on make-up/cosmeticsFashion follow/keep up with (the) fashion/the latest fashions spend/waste money on designer clothes be fashionably/stylishly/well dressed have good/great/terrible/awful taste in clothes update/revamp your wardrobe be in/come into/go out of fashion be (back/very much) in vogue create a style/trend/vogue for something organize/put on a fashion show show/unveil a designer’s spring/summer collection sashay/strut down the catwalk/(North American English also) runway be on/do a photo/fashion shoot Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecontemporary, current, latest, … verb + fashionbe, be in, become, … fashion + verbchange fashion + nounstatement, trend, model, … prepositionafter the fashion of, fashion for, fashion in, … phraseschanges in fashion, the fashion of the day, the height of fashion, … See full entry See related entries: The fashion world
- 2 [countable] a popular way of behaving, doing an activity, etc. The fashion at the time was for teaching mainly the written language. Fashions in art and literature come and go. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivetrue…, normal, standard, … verb + fashionact in, behave in, proceed in, … prepositionafter a fashion, in a fashion See full entry
- 3 [uncountable] the business of making or selling clothes in new and different styles a fashion designer/magazine/show the world of fashion the fashion industry Wordfinderstoreappliances, cookware, fashion, furnishings, hardware, linen, lingerie, menswear, stationery, store Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecontemporary, current, latest, … verb + fashionbe, be in, become, … fashion + verbchange fashion + nounstatement, trend, model, … prepositionafter the fashion of, fashion for, fashion in, … phraseschanges in fashion, the fashion of the day, the height of fashion, … See full entry See related entries: The fashion world Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘make, shape, appearance’, also ‘a particular make or style’): from Old French façon, from Latin factio(n-), from facere ‘do, make’.Extra examples Address me in a proper fashion. Application for the course can be made in the normal fashion. Black is always in fashion. Careful spending has gone out of fashion in our consumer society. Costs and revenues are assumed to behave in a linear fashion. Each chapter is structured in a similar fashion. Fashions in art come and go. Flared trousers were a fashion statement of the seventies. He asked questions in a direct fashion He delivered his speech in classic fashion. He has a small vocabulary and is only able to express himself in a limited fashion. He insisted the meeting be held, in true spy novel fashion, in the open air. He presents it in an entertaining fashion. He set a fashion for large hats. Her summer collection took the fashion world by storm. I need your expert fashion advice. I strive to get my work done in a timely fashion. I’ve given up trying to keep up with the latest fashions. I’ve started my own fashion line. Karpov struck back in no uncertain fashion to win the seventh game. Light and sound are recorded in such different fashions. Paris, the world’s fashion capital Pessimism has become the fashion. Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the promenade deck. She always wore the latest fashions. She had no fashion sense whatsoever. She has corrected that oversight in fine fashion. She laid out her argument in a convincing fashion. She looked like a fashion plate. She loves fashion and make-up. She spoke in French after the fashion of the court. She spoke in French after= copying the fashion of the court. She started her career as a fashion model. She was respected as a fashion icon. She was strolling in a leisurely fashion in the opposite direction. She wore a powdered wig, as was the fashion of the day. She writes in a serious fashion about the future So they became friends, after a fashion. Somebody call the fashion police, please! Students become frustrated with learning verbs parrot fashion. The book traces how fashions have changed over the years. The convention proceeded in the normal fashion. The descent of the footpath starts in easy fashion. The new summer fashions have arrived. The palazzo represents the height of architectural fashion for the mid-17th century. The store sells everything from casual clothes to high fashion. The story moves in circular fashion. The troops embarked in an orderly fashion. They act in a purposeful and deliberate fashion. They celebrated their win in traditional fashion by spraying champagne everywhere. This theory, though recent, is more than a passing fashion. We had just gone out when, in typical fashion, the rain came down. We need to tackle this problem in a coordinated fashion. What were your worst fashion disasters? When did flares first come into fashion? Why are they behaving in such a ridiculous fashion? a magazine fashion spread a passion for French fashions and goods batons ready in best police fashion changing fashions in education classic fashions for your wardrobe fresh interest in the New York fashion scene household names in the world of fashion and design one of the most successful fashion houses in Milan photographers at fashion shoots slowly descending the stairs in a grand fashion the fashion for long dresses the fashion runways of Italy and France the influence of Italian designer fashion on the clothes industry the latest fashion trend the popular fashions of the day the world’s top fashion experts this season’s must-have accessories that no fashion victim will be seen without watching how fashions change over the years when people confront you in a negative fashion I remembered clearly the peculiar fashion in which it all happened. Jeans are always in fashion. Some styles never go out of fashion. The stores are full of the spring fashions. They all want to work in fashion. a fashion designer/magazine/showIdioms
to some extent, but not very well I can play the piano, after a fashion. ‘Do you speak French?’ ‘After a fashion.’
(formal) in the style of somebody/something The new library is very much after the fashion of Nash.
(formal) in a particular way How could they behave in such a fashion? She was proved right, in dramatic fashion, when the whole department resigned.
(informal) used to emphasize that somebody is doing something or using something a lot She's been spending money like it's going out of fashion. see also parrot-fashion
Check pronunciation: fashion
