dress down
dress down — phrasal verb
- dress downbase form
- dresses down3rd person singular
- dressing down-ing form
- dressed downpast simple
1. To put on everyday, relaxed clothes instead of the formal business attire that a
To put on everyday, relaxed clothes instead of the formal business attire that a workplace or occasion normally expects.
Joshua dressed down for the team barbecue, swapping his tie for a polo shirt.
dress down + for + occasion
After the air conditioning broke, the whole office was told to dress down.
Gita dressed down and wore shorts to the workshop, surprising her colleagues.
Putri's company lets everyone dress down during the hot summer months.
Amira dressed down for the practice interview, saving her suit for the real thing.
- dress casually
more general; does not imply a change away from formal wear
- dress informally
slightly more formal register; often used in written dress-code notices
- dress up
to wear more formal or elegant clothes for a special occasion
- dress formally
to wear business suits or evening attire as expected
文法句型
dress down
dress down + for + event
dress down + on + day
用法筆記
This sense is always intransitive — it never takes an object naming the clothes themselves. The occasion, reason, or time period can be added after 'for', 'on', or 'during'. Distinguish from sense 2 (reprimand), which is always transitive and takes a person as its object.
常見錯誤
2. To speak to someone in a very angry and critical way because they have made a mi
To speak to someone in a very angry and critical way because they have made a mistake or behaved badly, especially in a work or military setting.
Eitan dressed the sales team down for missing the quarterly target by a wide margin.
dress + noun group + down — separable
Feng was dressed down by the head chef for serving cold soup to a guest.
passive: be dressed down + by + agent
The sergeant dressed Kian down in front of the platoon for losing his rifle.
Camille dressed the intern down for using the company van without permission.
Stefan's supervisor dressed him down for sending an angry email to a client.
- praise
to express warm approval
- compliment
to express admiration or approval, often more personal
文法句型
dress + somebody + down
dress down + somebody
be dressed down + by + somebody
用法筆記
This phrasal verb is separable. When the object is a pronoun (him, her, them), it must sit between 'dress' and 'down.' When the object is a full noun, either order is acceptable. Frequently appears in passive constructions ('was dressed down by').
常見錯誤
dress down — adjective
1. Describing a workplace arrangement that permits jeans, T-shirts, and other relax
Describing a workplace arrangement that permits jeans, T-shirts, and other relaxed clothing instead of suits or formal office wear.
The tech startup introduced a dress-down policy that allows hoodies and trainers.
collocation: dress-down policy
Felix wore a polo shirt on the first dress-down Friday of the month.
collocation: dress-down Friday
The employee handbook explains the dress-down rules for each department in detail.
David prefers dress-down days because he finds suits uncomfortable in summer.
文法句型
dress-down + noun
用法筆記
Always used before a noun (attributive position only). Must be hyphenated when written as a compound adjective. Common noun partners: 'policy', 'day', 'Friday', 'code', 'rules'. Do not use after a linking verb ('the office is dress-down' is incorrect).
常見錯誤
dress down — noun
1. A workplace arrangement that lets staff members wear casual clothes like jeans a
A workplace arrangement that lets staff members wear casual clothes like jeans and trainers instead of formal business attire.
The new dress-down was popular among the engineers in the research lab.
the + dress-down — uncountable noun
The receptionist thinks the dress-down has made the office feel less stiff and formal.
The human resources team announced a permanent dress-down starting next quarter.
The dress-down saved everyone money on dry cleaning, according to the finance team.
After the survey, management decided to expand the dress-down to four days a week.
- casual dress policy
more formal phrasing; used in official HR documents
- casual dress code
broader term; can refer to unwritten norms as well as formal policies
- business dress code
requiring suits, ties, skirts, or blazers
- formal dress code
requiring the strictest level of professional attire
文法句型
the + dress-down
a + dress-down
用法筆記
Typically treated as a singular uncountable noun. Usually preceded by 'the' when referring to a known policy. Takes a singular verb. The plural 'dress-downs' is very rare and used only when contrasting multiple distinct policies.