dress down

verb

dressed down; dressing down; dresses down

transitive verb

: to reprove severely

intransitive verb

: to dress casually especially for reasons of fashion

Examples of dress down in a Sentence

dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This was heightened by the extraordinary dressing down Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave Zelensky in his recent Oval Office visit and an apparent rapprochement between the White House and the Kremlin. William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025 In This Week’s Issue REVERSE-NIXON Might Donald Trump’s public dressing down of Volodymyr Zelensky have been intended to repair relations with Russia and put China on their back foot, Richard Nixon–style? airmail.news, 8 Mar. 2025 The administration has publicly dressed down Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025 In this week’s promo for Saturday Night Live, a bespectacled, dressed down Gaga — who will be both host and musical guest Saturday — sits at a piano in the SNL offices, performing musical improvisations that comment on various cast members passing through. Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dress down

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of dress down was in 1852

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress%20down. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

dress down

verb
1
: to criticize severely
2
: to dress casually
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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