dress

verb

• 1 [no object] put on one’s clothes:Graham showered and dressed quickly I’ll go and get dressed
• [with adverbial] wear clothes in a particular way or of a particular type:she’s nice-looking and dresses well (be dressed)he was dressed in jeans and a thick sweater
• [with object] put clothes on (someone):they dressed her in a white hospital gown
• put on clothes appropriate for a formal occasion:we dressed for dinner every night
• [with object] design or supply clothes for (a celebrity):for over four decades he dressed the royal family
• [with object] decorate (something) in an artistic or attractive way:they had dressed the doorframes with sprays of bittersweet

• 2 [with object] treat or prepare (something) in a certain way, in particular.
• clean, treat, or apply a dressing to (a wound).
• clean and prepare (food, especially poultry or shellfish) for cooking or eating: (as adjective dressed)dressed crab
• add a dressing to (a salad).
• apply a fertilizing substance to (a field, garden, or plant).
• complete the preparation or manufacture of (leather or fabric) by treating its surface in some way.
• smooth the surface of (stone): (as adjective dressed)a tower built of dressed stone
• arrange or style (one’s own or someone else’s hair), especially in an elaborate way.

• 3 [with object] Military draw up (troops) in the proper alignment.
• [no object] (of troops) come into proper alignment.

• 4 [with object] prepare (an artificial fly) for use in fishing: (as adjective dressed)a dressed wet fly

noun

• 1a one-piece garment for a woman or girl that covers the body and extends down over the legs.

• 2clothing of a specified kind for men or women:traditional African dress figurativethe underlying theme is recognizable even when it appears in feminist dress
• [as modifier] denoting military uniform or other clothing used on formal or ceremonial occasions:a dress suit