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Glite Dictionary
to dress properly

to dress properly

1 2.4
Wear clothes that suit the event or weather
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : vestirse adecuadamente
  • The one thing that annoys me a lot is when people don't take the effort to dress properly.

Examples

  • And third of all, neither one of us are dressed properly.

    Last Flag Flying (2017)

  • For their climate and according to their customs, they were dressed properly.

    To Sir, with Love (1967)

  • Make sure you dress properly.

    Dirty Dishes (2022)

  • I'm not really dressed properly, Pat.

    Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)

  • At least you've dressed properly for my presence.

    Cleopatra (1963)

  • And you're going to be dressed properly for the ball, in white.

    Jezebel (1938)

  • Fellas, you're not dressed properly.

    A Bronx Tale (1993)

  • Vocational arts teachers are unable to place students because those students refuse to learn the social skills necessary to dress properly for a job interview.

    Academic text (1990)

  • At least Cardenas had dressed properly, Humphries saw.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Before attending the wedding, make sure you dress properly to show respect for the occasion.

Synonyms

to suit up
vsto dress properly
  • Informal
38 4.0

Put on formal clothes or a uniform for an event

is about wearing clothes suitable for many occasions rather than formal ones

How Appropriate

to dress properly
1 2.4
to dress down
  • Informal
1 3.8

Surface Forms

dress properly infinitive
dressed properly past
dressed properly past participle
dressing properly present participle
dresses properly third person singular

Morphology

dress + properly

The meaning 'to wear clothing that is appropriate' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'dress' (to put clothing on) with 'properly' (in a correct or suitable manner). This verb + adverb composition follows normal English semantics and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Dress properly comes from the simple image of putting on the right clothes for an event; you dress properly, for example by wearing a suit for an interview or warm boots for snow, so you look correct and fit in. So, it means 'to wear clothes that are right for the occasion'.