Meaning & use
the nines
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Wearing very stylish, elegant, or highly fashionable clothes.
Grammar: Used after the verb 'be' or 'get': She was dressed to the nines. It describes a person's appearance, not an object.
Patterns
- be dressed to the nines
- get dressed to the nines
- go out dressed to the nines
She was dressed to the nines for the award ceremony, in a long silver gown.
Everyone got dressed to the nines for the company's anniversary party.
He showed up to the nines, with a tailored suit and polished shoes.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
In a state of perfect order, neatness, or excellence.
Grammar: Usually appears in the phrase 'to the nines' after a verb like 'polish' or 'clean'. It is less common than the clothing sense.
Patterns
- polished to the nines
- cleaned to the nines
The classic car was polished to the nines before the show.
She cleaned the kitchen to the nines for the dinner party.
Common combinations
- dressed to the nines
- The bride was dressed to the nines in a white lace dress.
- dressed up to the nines
- They were all dressed up to the nines for the prom.
- to the nines
- He always goes to the nines when he attends a wedding.
- get dressed to the nines
- We need to get dressed to the nines for the gala tonight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dressed up
- More general; it means wearing nicer clothes than usual, but not necessarily extremely elegant.
- glammed up
- Informal and often suggests heavy makeup or jewelry as well as fancy clothes.
- in one's best
- Slightly old-fashioned; it means wearing your best clothes, but not necessarily the most fashionable.
Opposites
Commonly confused: the nines or nine?
the nines vs nine
The number 9. 'The nines' is a separate idiom and does not refer to the number.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the nines' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Dressed to the nines' is the fixed idiom meaning wearing very stylish clothes. The other options treat 'the nines' as a literal plural of the number nine, which is not how the idiom works.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the nines”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.