tuxedo

noun

tux·​e·​do ˌtək-ˈsē-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce tuxedo (audio)
plural tuxedos or tuxedoes
1
: a semiformal evening suit for men
2
: a men's single-breasted or double-breasted usually black or blackish-blue jacket
tuxedoed adjective

Examples of tuxedo in a Sentence

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.
While wearing a mini tuxedo, Lorenzo slowly stomped down the aisle and paused at the puddle of petals. Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 20 May 2025 In the evening, butlers can easily be distinguished by their black tuxedos. Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025 Lorde went on to point out that the dress’s top half was a different take on the cummerbund, the pleated sash that often comes with men’s tuxedos. Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 15 May 2025 Janelle Monáe, with her years-long commitment to black-and-white suiting, is often read as androgynous, but in her styling, the tuxedo takes on a larger manifesto on gender, self-presentation, and power. Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tuxedo

Word History

Etymology

Tuxedo Park, New York

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tuxedo was in 1889

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Cite this Entry

“Tuxedo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuxedo. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

tuxedo

noun
tux·​e·​do ˌtək-ˈsēd-ō How to pronounce tuxedo (audio)
plural tuxedos or tuxedoes
: a suit for men to be worn on special occasions
Etymology

named for Tuxedo Park, a resort in New York State, where the jacket first became popular

Word Origin
Tuxedo can be traced back to the name of a village in southeastern New York. In the 1880s, an area called Tuxedo Park, near the village of Tuxedo, became a popular vacation community. It was here, around the turn of the century, that young men began wearing a new kind of dress jacket. The new style was soon called tuxedo.

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