dress / dres/ • v. 1. [intr.] put on one's clothes: Graham showered and dressed quickly| I'll go and get dressed. ∎  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. ∎  [tr.] 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. ∎  [tr.] design or supply clothes for (a celebrity): for over four decades he dressed the royal family. ∎  [tr.] decorate (something) in an artistic or attractive way: they had dressed the doorframes with sprays of bittersweet.2. [tr.] treat or prepare (something) in a certain way, in particular: ∎  clean, treat, or apply a dressing to (a wound). ∎  clean and prepare (food, esp. poultry or shellfish) for cooking or eating: [as adj.] (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 adj.] (dressed) a tower built of dressed stone. ∎  arrange or style (one's own or someone else's hair), esp. in an elaborate way.3. [tr.] Mil. draw up (troops) in the proper alignment. ∎  [intr.] (of troops) come into such an alignment.4. [tr.] prepare (an artificial fly) for use in fishing: [as adj.] (dressed) a dressed wet fly. • n. 1. a one-piece garment for a woman or girl that covers the body and extends down over the legs.2. clothing of a specified kind for men or women: traditional African dress | fig. the underlying theme is recognizable even when it appears in feminist dress. ∎  [as adj.] denoting military uniform or other clothing used on formal or ceremonial occasions: a dress suit.PHRASES: dressed to kill wearing glamorous clothes intended to create a striking impression.dressed to the nines dressed very elaborately.PHRASAL VERBS: dress down dress informally: Sue dressed down in old jeans and a white blouse.dress someone down inf. reprimand someone.dress up dress in smart or formal clothes. ∎  dress in a special costume for fun or as part of an entertainment: he dressed up as a gorilla.dress something up present something in such a way that it appears better than it really is: the company dressed up the figures a little.