attire

1 of 2

verb

at·​tire ə-ˈtī(-ə)r 

attired; attiring

transitive verb

: to put garments on : dress, array

… proceeded to attire herself for a professional visit.

—Charles Dickens

The guests were formally attired. [=wearing formal clothing]

especially : to clothe in fancy or rich garments

dancers attired in colorful costumes

attire

2 of 2

noun

1

: dress, clothes

business attire

especially : splendid or decorative clothing

the queen in her royal attire

2

: the antlers or antlers and scalp of a stag or buck

Synonyms

Verb

• dress
• clothe
• costume
• gown
• apparel
• garment

Noun

• clothing
• clothes
• dress
• garments
• apparel
• wear

Examples of attire in a Sentence

Verb

men attired in tuxedos for the awards banquet

Noun

Proper attire is required at the restaurant.

needed some snazzy attire for the job interview

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The authors propose a new model that places attire alongside the face, body, context and viewer traits, revealing that dress influences judgments of social identity, mental state, status and aesthetic taste. —Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Catmull enters attired in a black gown lined with sparkling contours that recall the sinuous figures of artist and designer Erté. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Noun

Zelenskyy was teased by Trump and others for his attire and eventually booted from the White House. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025

There’s another reason Cora isn’t exactly high on the current Players’ Weekend attire. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French atirer to equip, prepare, attire, from a- (from Latin ad-) + tire order, rank, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English tīr glory, ornament

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for attire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

attire

1 of 2 verb

at·​tire ə-ˈtī(ə)r 

attired; attiring

: to put clothes and especially special or fine clothes on

attire

2 of 2 noun

: clothing sense 1

especially : fine clothes