Meaning & use
a dressing gown
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Meanings
nouncountable
A loose, long robe that you wear over nightclothes or after a bath, usually at home.
Grammar: Countable, so use 'a dressing gown' for one and 'dressing gowns' for more than one.
Patterns
- wear a dressing gown
- put on a dressing gown
- a dressing gown over something
He made coffee in his dressing gown before getting dressed.
She keeps a warm dressing gown hanging behind the bathroom door.
The hotel provides a dressing gown and slippers in every room.
nouncountable
A similar loose garment worn by a patient in a hospital over a nightgown or pajamas.
Grammar: Also countable; often used with 'hospital' to show where it is worn.
Patterns
- a hospital dressing gown
- in a dressing gown
Patients are asked to bring a dressing gown for their stay.
He walked slowly down the corridor in a blue hospital dressing gown.
Word forms
| plural | dressing gowns |
|---|
Common combinations
- a warm dressing gown
- She bought a warm dressing gown for the winter.
- put on a dressing gown
- He put on a dressing gown and went to answer the door.
- in a dressing gown
- I found her in a dressing gown, reading on the sofa.
- a silk dressing gown
- The actor wore a silk dressing gown in the interview.
- take off a dressing gown
- Take off your dressing gown and get into bed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bathrobe
- The usual American word for the same garment; in British English a bathrobe is often the towel-like kind used at the pool.
- robe
- A shorter, more general word for any long loose garment, including ones worn at a ceremony or on the beach.
- housecoat
- A similar loose coat worn at home, but usually by women and often with buttons down the front.
Word family
Commonly confused: a dressing gown or dressing room? a dressing gown or bath towel?
a dressing gown vs dressing room
A dressing room is a small room where you change clothes or prepare; a dressing gown is the garment itself.
a dressing gown vs bath towel
A bath towel is used to dry your body; a dressing gown is worn on your body afterwards.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dressing gown' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'In his dressing gown' describes what he was wearing at home, which fits the meaning. Option 0 confuses it with a towel, option 2 wrongly uses it as a verb, and option 3 confuses it with a medical prescription.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a dressing gown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.