Meaning & use
a tuxedo
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A formal suit for men, usually black, with a jacket that has shiny lapels and a matching pair of trousers.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a tuxedo' or 'two tuxedos'.
Patterns
- wear a tuxedo
- rent a tuxedo
- in a tuxedo
He looked very handsome in his black tuxedo at the wedding.
You need to wear a tuxedo to the awards ceremony; a regular suit won't be formal enough.
The groom and his groomsmen all rented matching tuxedos for the big day.
Word forms
| plural | tuxedos |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a tuxedo
- He wore a tuxedo to the charity gala.
- rent a tuxedo
- It's cheaper to rent a tuxedo than to buy one for a single event.
- a black tuxedo
- She chose a classic black tuxedo for her prom.
- in a tuxedo
- The waiter appeared in a tuxedo and offered us champagne.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dinner jacket
- The usual British term for the same jacket, often worn with a bow tie; 'tuxedo' is more common in American English.
- formal suit
- A broader term that can mean any very smart suit, not necessarily the specific style of a tuxedo.
Opposites
Word family
- tux noun
- Informal short form of 'tuxedo', used especially in American English.
Commonly confused: a tuxedo or suit?
a tuxedo vs suit
A 'suit' is a general set of matching jacket and trousers, often worn for business; a 'tuxedo' is a specific, more formal type of suit for evening events.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tuxedo' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A tuxedo is formal evening wear, so it fits an awards ceremony. Jogging, a bank interview, and playing in mud call for casual or business clothes, not a tuxedo.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a tuxedo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.