dress
/dɹɛs/verb, noun
dress is spelled D-R-E-S-S: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 58 times per million words in written English, the 1,793rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, dress means “To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dress?
| Letters | 5: D-R-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 58 times per million words; the 1,793rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dress?
Dress appears 58 times per million words in written English, the 1,793rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dress?
- UK /dɹes/
- US /dɹɛs/
- /dɹɪs/
Dress has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-dress.ogg, En-us-dress.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dress?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dress from its last stressed vowel (/ɛs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dress
- dresses present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- dressing participle, present
- dressed past, participle, singular, he/she/it, plural
- drest participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dress mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
He was dressed in the latest fashions.
- 2
To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
- 3
To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone).
The fashion designer was proud to have dressed the queen for the charity event.
- 4
To arrange or style (someone's hair).
- 5
To adorn or ornament (something).
It was time to dress the windows for Christmas again.
- 6
To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop window).
- 7
To ornament (a ship) by hoisting the national colours at the peak and mastheads, and setting the jack forward; when "dressed full", the signal flags and pennants are added.
- 8
To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.
noun
- 1
An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist.
Amy and Mary looked very pretty in their dresses.
- 2
An item of outer clothing or set of such clothes (worn by people of all sexes) which is generally decorative and appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc.
- 3
IndiaAny item of clothing, or an outfit.
He wore a bright orange dress to the office yesterday.
- 4
Ellipsis of dress rehearsal.
- 5
Apparel or clothing, especially when appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc.
military dress
- 6
archaicThe act of putting on clothes, especially fashionable ones, or for a particular (especially formal) occasion.
- 7
The external covering of an animal (for example, the feathers of a bird) or an object.
- 8
The appearance of an object after it has undergone some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use; finish.
noun
- 1
acronym of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms or drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dress in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | habiller , s'habiller , panser , robe , tenue |
| German | kleiden, ankleiden, anziehen , sich anziehen , anmachen , tragen |
| Portuguese | vestir , vestir-se , vestido , vestimenta, traje |
| Spanish | vestir (de / con) , vestirse (de / con) , vestido, traje , ir / andar vestido (de / con), ataviar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dress come from?
The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence English direct. Further akin to Latin regō. The noun is derived from the verb. Compare typologically adorn (<< Latin ōrnō < ōrdō, whence also ōrdinō, English order, ornament); Russian наряжа́ть (narjažátʹ), наря́д (narjád) (akin to ряд (rjad), поря́док (porjádok)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).