/dres/ , n., adj., v., dressed or drest, dressing .
n.
1. an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
2. clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
3. formal attire.
4. a particular form of appearance; guise.
5. outer covering, as the plumage of birds.
adj.
6. of or for a dress or dresses.
7. of or for a formal occasion.
8. requiring formal dress.
v.t.
9. to put clothing upon.
10. to put formal or evening clothes on.
11. to trim; ornament; adorn: to dress a store window; to dress a Christmas tree.
12. to design clothing for or sell clothes to.
13. to comb out and do up (hair).
14. to cut up, trim, and remove the skin, feathers, viscera, etc., from (an animal, meat, fowl, or flesh of a fowl) for market or for cooking (often fol. by out when referring to a large animal): We dressed three chickens for the dinner. He dressed out the deer when he got back to camp.
15. to prepare (skins, fabrics, timber, stone, ore, etc.) by special processes.
16. to apply medication or a dressing to (a wound or sore).
17. to make straight; bring (troops) into line: to dress ranks.
18. to make (stone, wood, or other building material) smooth.
19. to cultivate (land, fields, etc.).
20. Theat. to arrange (a stage) by effective placement of properties, scenery, actors, etc.
21. to ornament (a vessel) with ensigns, house flags, code flags, etc.: The bark was dressed with masthead flags only.
22. Angling.
a. to prepare or bait (a fishhook) for use.
b. to prepare (bait, esp. an artificial fly) for use.
23. Print. to fit (furniture) around and between pages in a chase prior to locking it up.
24. to supply with accessories, optional features, etc.: to have one's new car fully dressed.
v.i.
25. to clothe or attire oneself; put on one's clothes: Wake up and dress, now!
26. to put on or wear formal or fancy clothes: to dress for dinner.
27. to come into line, as troops.
28. to align oneself with the next soldier, marcher, dancer, etc., in line.
29. dress down ,
a. to reprimand; scold.
b. to thrash; beat.
c. to dress informally or less formally: to dress down for the shipboard luau.
30. dress ship ,
a. to decorate a ship by hoisting lines of flags running its full length.
b. U.S. Navy. to display the national ensigns at each masthead and a larger ensign on the flagstaff.
31. dress up ,
a. to put on one's best or fanciest clothing; dress relatively formally: They were dressed up for the Easter parade.
b. to dress in costume or in another person's clothes: to dress up in Victorian clothing; to dress up as Marie Antoinette.
c. to embellish or disguise, esp. in order to make more appealing or acceptable: to dress up the facts with colorful details.
[ 1275-1325; ME dressen dresser, dresc ( i ) er, to arrange, prepare, OF drecier directiare, deriv. of L directus DIRECT; n. use of v. in sense "attire" from ca. 1600 ]
Syn. 1. frock. DRESS, COSTUME, GOWN refer to garments for women. DRESS is the general term for a garment: a black dress. COSTUME is used of the style of dress appropriate to some occasion, purpose, period, or character, esp. as used on the stage, at balls, at court, or the like, and may apply to men's garments as well: an 18th-century costume. GOWN is usually applied to a dress more expensive and elegant than the ordinary, usually long, to be worn on a special occasion: a wedding gown. 2. raiment, attire, clothes, habit, garments, vestments, habiliments. 9. clothe, robe, garb.