🧥 To put on clothes 👗 A woman's garment 👔 Clothing style 🌿 To decorate 🩹 To prepare or treat 🪖 To align in rows 🎩 Formal

to dress

4 7.9

To arrange people or things in straight rows, often in the military

verb
/drɛs/

Jargon

: alinear

You and IA members dressed up in uniforms, in hierarchy and orders, marching in parades.
dress the line

Examples

Dress right!

The Last Castle (2001)
- I saw troops dressed in Thenian uniforms attack the banquet.

Atlas (1961)
Dress that line down there!

Gods and Generals (2003)
Dress to the right!

Gods and Generals (2003)
Canadian and American military experts, dressed in crisp uniforms, are glued to phones and screens.

Blog text (16)
A lot of assistant directors are dressed as soldiers here, so they're kind of marshalling the extras as we move through.

Atonement (2007)
The conservatively dressed mourners stand in ranks as a nondenominational minister releases her ashes to the wind and sea.

Fiction book (2000)
Guides at Lake Samji in the north of the country dressed in military uniforms worn during the anti-Japanese Guerrilla War.

Blog text (11)
The sergeant instructed the troops to dress their formations before the inspection.
During the parade, the officers were required to dress the ranks accurately.

Synonyms

to line up

vsto dress

115 2.6

Put people or things in a straight row

focuses on arranging in precise ranks often for military or formal use

Antonyms

to scatter

110 2.7

To make people or animals move quickly in different directions

to disorganize

4 4.5

To make something lose its order or structure

Idioms

to dress to kill

Informal

1 6.2

To wear very attractive clothes to impress people

to dress like a buckaroo

Informal

9.1

To wear clothes like a cowboy, for example a hat and boots

Phrasal Verbs

to dress up

178 2.7

Put on special clothes for an event or to look attractive

to dress as

61 3.5

Put on a costume to look like someone or something else

to dress something up

56 3.4

Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event

to dress up

12 2.9

Make something look better than it really is

to dress warmly

3 1.0

Put on warm clothes to stay warm in cold weather

to dress down

Informal

3 6.3

To angrily tell someone they did something wrong

to dress up

3 4.2

Put decorations on animals for special events

to dress properly

1 2.4

Wear clothes that suit the event or weather

to dress down

Informal

1 3.8

To wear casual clothes instead of formal ones

to dress out

NSFW

1 8.7

Remove the insides and clean an animal so you can eat it

to dress ship

Specialized

8.5

Put flags on a ship for a ceremony or festival

to dress up in a shroudie

Informal

9.9

To wear a simple white sheet as a ghost costume at Halloween

to window-dress

7.9

To make something look better than it is to trick people

Compounds

wedding dress

62 1.0

A long formal gown worn by a bride at her wedding

dress code

40 2.5

Rules about what clothes people can or must wear in a place

black dress

26 1.0

A dress that is black and often worn for formal or special occasions

dress rehearsal

Specialized

20 3.3

A full practice of a play in costume before opening night

cocktail dress

11 3.3

A short elegant dress for women to wear at evening events

dress shirt

9 2.7

A formal men's shirt with a stiff front, worn with a tuxedo

dress uniform

Specialized

8 4.1

A formal uniform worn by people in the military for ceremonies and official events

evening dress

7 3.4

A formal dress worn by women for evening events

little black dress

7 3.3

A simple black dress to wear to many events like a party or dinner

dress shop

6 1.1

A shop that sells women's dresses and matching jewelry

fancy dress

5 3.5

A costume people wear to hide who they are at a party

dress blues

Jargon

5 6.1

A formal military uniform worn for ceremonies and official events

mini dress

2 2.6

A very short dress that ends well above the knees

velvet dress

2 3.1

A dress made of soft velvet worn for special occasions

dress whites

Specialized

1 6.0

Formal white uniforms people in the military wear for ceremonies

full dress

Formal

1 6.8

Formal evening clothes for men worn at very important events

battle dress

Specialized

1 6.0

A soldier's uniform worn for fighting and work in the field

fancy-dress ball

1 7.0

A formal party where people wear costumes and masks and dance

full-dress uniform

Formal

1 6.0

A very formal uniform that military or navy officers wear at official ceremonies

civilian dress

1 3.6

Ordinary clothes worn by people who are not soldiers, police, or religious leaders

dress circle

1 5.4

A curved section of seats above the main floor with a good view of the stage

dress suit

1 3.5

A formal men's outfit with a tailcoat and trousers for evening events

peasant dress

1 3.4

A loose women's dress with gathered sleeves and simple embroidery

bouffy dress

7.3

A dress with a full, rounded skirt that looks puffy like a princess dress

button-down dress

3.7

A dress with a collar and buttons down the front

dinner dress

Formal

3.4

A formal long gown worn to evening events like dinners

diving dress

Archaic

8.0

A heavy airtight suit that gave divers air while working underwater before modern diving gear

dress hanger

1.4

A hanger shaped like shoulders for holding clothes like dresses

dress hat

5.3

A tall formal hat for men often covered with silk or fur and worn with a formal suit

dress rack

1.5

A rack that shows dresses for sale in a shop

any old dress

Informal

1.6

A plain dress with nothing special about it

flouncy dress

3.9

A dress with ruffled layers that move when you walk

full-dress

Formal

6.9

Needing formal clothes for a ceremony or event

full-dress

Formal

7.2

Being formal and complete in every part

missyish dress

8.9

A dress with a young, playful, slightly childlike style

morning dress

8.2

Formal men's clothes for daytime that include a tailcoat, waistcoat and striped trousers

morning dress

Archaic

7.1

A simple dress a woman wears at home for morning housework

girlie dress

Informal

3.5

A dress with soft decorative details like ruffles or ribbons that shows a feminine style

halter-sack dress

7.0

A piece of clothing with thin straps behind the neck and a loose straight shape

Qaren dress

9.9

Traditional clothing worn by Qaren people with distinctive patterns and styles

Romish dress

Archaic

9.9

A style of clothing worn for Roman Catholic ceremonies or by priests

poofy dress

3.2

A dress with a full, puffed skirt that sticks out

preppy dress code

4.7

A neat, classic style of clothing with blazers and ties like private school students wear

schmancy dress

Informal

8.9

A fancy stylish outfit that people wear to special events

silk-stocking dress

Archaic

6.2

A formal dress made of silk for special occasions

skinny dress

3.5

A tight dress that shows the shape of the body

sleek dress

3.4

A smooth, close-fitting outfit that looks elegant and modern

twirly dress

3.0

A dress with a full skirt that spins when you turn

zaftig dress

9.3

A close-fitting dress that shows and flatters curves

How Aligned

to dress

Jargon

4 7.9

to align

89 3.5

to line up

115 2.6

to assemble

152 3.3

Surface Forms

dress infinitive

dressed past

dressed past participle

dressing present participle

dresses third person singular

Etymology

Dress for lining up comes from the Old French dresser 'to set straight' and the Latin direct 'straight'. So to dress a line of soldiers is to make them stand in exact, straight ranks.