Meaning & use
evening dress
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Meanings
noununcountable
Formal clothes worn for special evening events such as parties, dinners, or ceremonies.
Grammar: No plural; used to talk about this type of clothing in general.
Patterns
- in evening dress
- wear evening dress
The invitation says evening dress, so you'll need a tuxedo or a long gown.
Everyone at the charity ball was in evening dress.
nouncountable
A woman's elegant dress, usually long, worn for formal evening occasions.
Grammar: Can be counted: one evening dress, two evening dresses.
Patterns
- a beautiful evening dress
- buy an evening dress
- wear an evening dress
She bought a silk evening dress for the awards ceremony.
Her evening dress was dark blue with silver details.
Word forms
| plural | evening dresses |
|---|
Common combinations
- in evening dress
- All the guests were in evening dress.
- wear evening dress
- Do we have to wear evening dress to the opera?
- formal evening dress
- The hotel requires formal evening dress for dinner.
- a long evening dress
- She chose a long evening dress in deep red.
Synonyms and how they differ
- formal wear
- A broader term for any formal clothes, not only for evening events.
- gown
- Usually refers to a woman's long formal dress; more specific than evening dress.
- black tie
- Refers specifically to a man's formal evening outfit, often a tuxedo; evening dress can refer to both men's and women's formal clothes.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: evening dress or nightdress?
evening dress vs nightdress
A nightdress is a loose garment worn in bed, not formal evening clothing.
Practice
The invitation says 'evening dress', so you should wear ______.
Choose one answer.
Evening dress means formal clothes for an evening event, so a formal suit or gown is correct. The other options are casual or inappropriate for a formal occasion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “evening dress”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.