overdress

1 of 2

verb

over·​dress ˌō-vər-ˈdres 

overdressed; overdressing; overdresses

transitive verb

: to dress or adorn to excess

felt overdressed for the occasion in his tuxedo

intransitive verb

: to dress oneself to excess

it's better to overdress for the party than be too casual

overdress

2 of 2

noun

over·​dress ˈō-vər-ˌdres 

: a dress worn over another

Examples of overdress in a Sentence

Verb

He overdressed for such a casual party.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But nothing kills a vibe faster than being overdressed at a dive bar—or underdressed at a swanky rooftop, for that matter. —Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2025

Your salad can go from dressed to overdressed with excess juice. —Elizabeth Mervosh, Southern Living, 13 Dec. 2024

But there's some situations where showing up in a suit and tie would be overdressed. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024

The 42-year-old EGOT winner took to the ice with Lipinski’s help in a recent segment on The Jennifer Hudson Show, even if Hudson was a touch overdressed for the proceedings. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023

Back in the day, you could feasibly be left to your own devices and told to take your kid sister trick-or-treating while hundreds of kids roamed the neighborhood adult-free and the parents were completely sloshed and overdressed partying in some warehouse downtown. —Sona Charaipotra, Parents, 11 Oct. 2023

Our biggest challenge was learning not to overdress on our inner layer. —Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2021

While the movie is set in the 1940s, the tendency to overdress one’s children for cold weather is a timeless tradition. —Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2020

Hippos pile into a house—overdressed, with a guest, in a sack, through the back. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2019

Noun

All three were bogged down by degrees of overdress. —Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Dec. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1704, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overdress

• abs
• acquiesce
• ancestress
• authoress
• coalesce
• decompress
• dispossess
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless

Kids Definition

overdress

1 of 2 verb

over·​dress ˌō-vər-ˈdres 

: to dress too formally or warmly for an occasion

overdress

2 of 2 noun

over·​dress ˈō-vər-ˌdres 

: a dress worn over another