/ staɪl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
WAY STH IS DONE
1.
[ C , U ] style (of sth) the particular way in which sth is done :
a style of management
a management style
furniture to suit your style of living
a study of different teaching styles
I like your style (= I like the way you do things) .
Caution was not her style (= not the way she usually behaved) .
I'm surprised he rides a motorbike—I'd have thought big cars were more his style (= what suited him) .
—see also lifestyle
DESIGN OF CLOTHES / HAIR
2.
[ C ] a particular design of sth, especially clothes :
We stock a wide variety of styles and sizes.
Have you thought about having your hair in a shorter style?
—see also hairstyle
3.
[ U ] the quality of being fashionable in the clothes that you wear :
style-conscious teenagers
Short skirts are back in style (= fashionable) .
BEING ELEGANT
4.
[ U ] the quality of being elegant and made to a high standard :
The hotel has been redecorated but it's lost a lot of its style.
She does everything with style and grace.
OF BOOK / PAINTING / BUILDING
5.
[ C , U ] the features of a book, painting, building, etc. that make it typical of a particular author, artist, historical period, etc. :
a style of architecture
a fine example of Gothic style
a parody written in the style of Molière
USE OF LANGUAGE
6.
[ U , C ] the correct use of language :
It's not considered good style to start a sentence with 'but'.
Please follow house style (= the rules of spelling, etc. used by a particular publishing company) .
-STYLE
7.
(in adjectives) having the type of style mentioned :
Italian-style gardens
a buffet-style breakfast
—see also old-style
IN A PLANT
8.
( biology ) the long thin part of a flower that carries the stigma
—picture at flower
•
IDIOMS
- in (great, grand, etc.) style
—more at cramp verb
■ verb
CLOTHES / HAIR, etc.
1.
[ vn ] to design, make or shape sth in a particular way :
an elegantly styled jacket
He'd had his hair styled at an expensive salon.
GIVE NAME / TITLE
2.
[ vn - n ] ( formal ) to give sb/sth/yourself a particular name or title :
He styled himself Major Carter.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- style sth / yourself on sth/sb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a stylus, also a literary composition, an official title, or a characteristic manner of literary expression): from Old French stile , from Latin stilus . The verb dates (first in sense 2) from the early 16th cent.