Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to rent a tuxedo

to rent a tuxedo

1 3.0
Pay to use a formal suit for a short time
  • phrasal verb
  • /rɛnt ə tʌkˈsiːdoʊ/
  • US
translation icon : alquilar un esmoquin
  • If you want to look sharp, make sure to rent a tuxedo a few days before the party.

Examples

  • One glimpse of the tux-clad butler who opened the door and relieved arriving guests of their coats made David more than happy that he'd gone to the trouble of renting a tuxedo himself.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Just looking to rent a tux today.

  • Next time I'll rent a tuxedo.

    Double Indemnity (1944)

  • - You gotta rent a tuxedo for the prom.

    Carrie (1976)

  • Should have rented a tuxedo.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • We would all dress up—he would buy Spanda a new dress, and would give me money to rent a tuxedo (it would have been a waste to buy one for me, for I was growing, and would quickly have outgrown any one we purchased)—

    Fiction book (1990)

  • For the wedding, I need to rent a tuxedo that fits perfectly.

  • He decided to rent a tuxedo for the gala since it was a formal event.

Antonyms

to buy
∞ 1.0

To get something by paying money

Surface Forms

rent a tuxedo infinitive
rented a tuxedo past
rented a tuxedo past participle
renting a tuxedo present participle
rents a tuxedo third person singular

Morphology

rent + a + tuxedo

The meaning 'to hire a tuxedo for a temporary period' is directly and transparently derivable from the constituents: 'rent' (pay to use temporarily) + 'a' (indefinite article) + 'tuxedo' (formal suit). This is a regular verb + noun phrase combination found across languages and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner knowing the words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Rent a tuxedo comes from the simple idea of rent, paying to use a tuxedo, a formal suit, just for one event instead of buying it. So rent a tuxedo means 'to hire a tuxedo for a short time'.