evening gown
12
2.7
- noun
- /ˈiːv.nɪŋ ɡaʊn/
:
vestido de noche
- She was stunning in her elegant evening gown at the gala last night.
- wear evening gowns
- strapless evening gown
- black evening gown
And dance their own version of nude mesh for, you know, complicated construction evening gowns.
- And dance their own version of nude mesh for, you know, complicated construction evening gowns.
Examples
-
The guests, of whom there are a couple hundred, in black tie and evening gowns, are entering the receiving area.
Fiction book (1995) -
Board members, museum patrons, and socialites mill about in dinner jackets and evening gowns, making small talk.
Fiction book (1992) -
My mother in an evening gown, going out with one of the men she almost married.
Fiction book (1994) -
As Amy enters in a simple yet stunning evening gown.
Fiction book (1994) -
I stand before you tonight, in my Red Star chiffon evening gown.
-
In a few minutes, she reappeared in an evening gown.
Fiction book (1990) -
With the tuxedos and the evening gowns and everything.
-
Fournet bent over a woman in a peach-colored evening gown.
Fiction book (2001) -
Sheer and shapely, her evening gown is leaf green at the legs, and at the bust blooms with violet.
Fiction book (2002) -
Starling, in a décolleté evening gown, stood in front of a perfect presentation of baccarat and Limoges.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
192
2.5
A long formal robe like those worn at graduations or in court
8
3.5
A long formal dress worn by women to very special events like balls
7
3.4
A formal dress worn by women for evening events
1
4.1
A long elegant dress that women wear to formal dances
A formal dress worn to evening events, especially dinners
A formal long gown worn to evening events like dinners
A formal dress a woman wears to a ball or gala
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a long, formal dress worn for evening events' is directly and transparently composed from 'evening' (time of night) + 'gown' (a long formal dress). This is a straightforward, compositional noun phrase common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun evening gown comes from the simple idea of a long gown worn in the evening for special events; picture a long dress chosen just for night parties. So it means 'a long, formal dress worn for evening events'.