Definition

1. Noun:
   • A sauce for salads: A seasoned mixture, often liquid or creamy, added to salads. Examples include vinaigrette or mayonnaise-based dressings.
   • A covering for a wound: A sterile pad or bandage applied to protect a wound or sore.
   • The act of putting on clothes: The activity of getting dressed.
   • A seasoned mixture for stuffing: A preparation of ingredients, such as herbs and bread, used to stuff poultry, fish, or vegetables before cooking.
   • The process of treating or preparing materials: Activities such as applying fertilizer to land, treating leather, or finishing the surface of stone or wood.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Salad Sauce):
  • I prefer a light vinaigrette dressing on my salad.
  • The chef makes a delicious creamy garlic dressing.
• Noun (Wound Covering):
  • The nurse changed the dressing on the patient's burn.
  • Keep the wound clean and apply a fresh dressing daily.
• Noun (Act of Getting Dressed):
  • Dressing quickly in the morning is a challenge for me.
• Noun (Stuffing Mixture):
  • She prepared a bread and herb dressing for the Thanksgiving turkey.

Advanced Usage

• "Window dressing": Superficial or deceptive changes meant to create a favorable impression.
  • The policy changes were merely window dressing and didn't address the core problem.
• "Dressing room": A room for changing clothes, especially in a theater, store, or sports facility.
  • The actors waited nervously in their dressing rooms before the show.

Variants and Related Words

• Dress (v): To put on clothes.
• Dresser (n): A piece of furniture with drawers for clothes; or a person who dresses in a particular way (e.g., a stylish dresser).
• Dressy (adj): Suitable for or requiring formal attire.

Synonyms

• For salad sauce: Topping, vinaigrette, sauce.
• For wound covering: Bandage, gauze, compress.
• For the act: Grooming, attiring.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Compounds

• Dress down (phrasal verb): To wear casual clothes; or to reprimand severely.
  • Our office allows us to dress down on Fridays.
  • The manager dressed down the employee for the safety violation.
• Dress up (phrasal verb): To wear formal or fancy clothes; or to disguise.
  • We need to dress up for the gala dinner.
  • The children love to dress up as superheroes.

Related Idioms

• Dressed to kill: Wearing very stylish or attractive clothes intended to impress.
  • She arrived at the party dressed to kill.

Noun

1. the act of applying a bandage
2. the activity of getting dressed; putting on clothes
3. processes in the conversion of rough hides into leather
4. a cloth covering for a wound or sore
5. making fertile as by applying fertilizer or manure
6. a mixture of seasoned ingredients used to stuff meats and vegetables
7. savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type