/ English Dictionary

DRESS DOWN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Dress informally and casually

Example:

On Fridays, employees can underdress

Synonyms:

dress down; underdress

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "dress down" is one way to...):

dress; get dressed (put on clothes)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Antonym:

dress up (put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Censure severely or angrily

Example:

The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup

Synonyms:

bawl out; berate; call down; call on the carpet; chew out; chew up; chide; dress down; have words; jaw; lambast; lambaste; lecture; rag; rebuke; remonstrate; reprimand; scold; take to task; trounce

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "dress down" is one way to...):

criticise; criticize; knock; pick apart (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dress down"):

castigate; chasten; chastise; correct; objurgate (censure severely)

brush down; tell off (reprimand)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot dress down Sue

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