Meaning & use
dress shirt
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Meanings
nouncountable
A formal shirt with a collar, buttons down the front, and long sleeves, worn with a suit or tie.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a dress shirt' or 'dress shirts'; the plural adds -s to 'shirt', not to 'dress'.
Patterns
- wear a dress shirt
- a white dress shirt
- a dress shirt and tie
He ironed a white dress shirt before the interview.
The invitation said to wear a jacket and a dress shirt.
She bought two dress shirts for her new office job.
nouncountable
A shirt of this formal kind made for a particular body size or style, sold in shops.
Grammar: Often used with size or color words before it: a slim-fit dress shirt, a blue dress shirt.
Patterns
- a dress shirt in size something
- a slim-fit dress shirt
They only had dress shirts in large, so I ordered mine online.
This shop sells dress shirts with French cuffs.
Word forms
| plural | dress shirts |
|---|
Common combinations
- a crisp dress shirt
- He looked smart in a crisp dress shirt.
- a button-down dress shirt
- A button-down dress shirt works well without a tie.
- tuck in a dress shirt
- Remember to tuck in your dress shirt.
- a dress shirt and tie
- Everyone at the wedding wore a dress shirt and tie.
- a white dress shirt
- A plain white dress shirt goes with almost any suit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- button-down
- A button-down is a casual shirt whose collar points fasten with small buttons; a dress shirt is the more formal item worn with a suit.
- blouse
- A blouse is a similar smart top, but it is usually worn by women and is often softer or more decorative.
- top
- Top is a general word for any upper garment; use dress shirt when you mean the formal buttoned kind.
Opposites
Word family
- shirt noun
- A general word for any upper garment with sleeves and a collar or neckline.
- shirtfront noun
- The front part of a shirt, especially the stiff chest area of a formal one.
Commonly confused: dress shirt or T-shirt? dress shirt or nightshirt?
dress shirt vs T-shirt
A T-shirt is a simple cotton top with short sleeves and no collar; a dress shirt has a collar, buttons, and usually long sleeves.
dress shirt vs nightshirt
A nightshirt is a long loose garment worn in bed, not formal clothing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dress shirt' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A dress shirt is formal wear for a suit or jacket, so wearing one to a wedding fits. The other options describe casual, sporty, sleeping, or messy activities where such a formal shirt would not normally be worn.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dress shirt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.