verb
dresses; dressed; dressing
[+ obj] :to put clothes on (yourself or someone else)
[no obj] :to put clothes on yourself
[no obj]
to put on or wear a particular type or style of clothes
to put on or wear formal clothes
[+ obj] :to clean, put medicine on, and cover (a wound)
[+ obj] :to prepare (food) for cooking or eating
[+ obj] :to decorate (something, especially a window) for display
[+ obj] technical :to prepare (wood, stone, leather, etc.) for use
dress down
[phrasal verb]
to wear informal clothes
dress (someone) down or dress down (someone) :to speak angrily to (someone) for doing something wrong
dress up
[phrasal verb]
to put on or wear formal clothes
b dress (someone) up or dress up (someone) :to put formal or fancy clothes on (someone)
to put on a costume
b dress (someone) up or dress up (someone) :to put a costume on (someone)
dress up (something) or dress (something) up :to make (something) more attractive, impressive, or fancy
noun
plural dresses
[count] :a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs
see color picture - see also housedress, sundress
[noncount] :a particular type of clothing
adjective
always used before a noun
suitable or required for a formal event