fashion

1 of 2

noun

fash·​ion ˈfa-shən How to pronounce fashion (audio)
1
a(1)
: the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time
The spring fashions are now on display.
(2)
: a garment in such a style
always wears the latest fashions
b
: a prevailing custom, usage, or style
Literary fashions have changed in recent years.
c
: social standing or prominence especially as signalized by dress or conduct
men and women of fashion
2
a
: mode of action or operation
assembled in an orderly fashion
not even changing fashions in warfare have diminished the island's strategic importanceFranc Shor
b
: a distinctive or peculiar and often habitual manner or way
he will, after his sour fashion, tell youWilliam Shakespeare
3
a
: the make or form of something
A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room.Arthur Conan Doyle
b
archaic : kind, sort

fashion

2 of 2

verb

fashioned; fashioning ˈfash-niŋ How to pronounce fashion (audio)
ˈfa-shᵊn-iŋ
; fashions

transitive verb

1
: to give shape or form to : to make, construct, or create (something) usually with careful attention or by the use of imagination and ingenuity
fashion a lamp from an old churn
a figure fashioned from clay
… delegating to the commander-in-chief the power to fashion the rules of the military justice system …Fred Strasser
Up there in the mountains old ladies … are still hooking rugs … and fashioning dainty dolls out of corn shucks.Richard Atcheson
2
: to design or devise for a particular use or purpose
… were the vessels fashioned for royalty distinguished from objects intended for nonroyal consumers?Asian Art
3
obsolete : contrive
fashioner
ˈfash-nər How to pronounce fashion (audio)
ˈfa-shə-nər
noun
Phrases
after a fashion
: in an approximate or rough way
became an artist after a fashion
Choose the Right Synonym for fashion

fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date.

fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place.

the current fashion

style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste.

a media baron used to traveling in style

mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated.

slim bodies are the mode at this resort

vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion.

short skirts are back in vogue

fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion.

last year's fad is over

rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad.

Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time
crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted

synonyms see in addition method

Examples of fashion in a Sentence

Noun Jewelry and clothing fashions vary with the season. Short skirts have come back into fashion. Those ruffled blouses went out of fashion years ago. She always wears the latest fashions. Literary fashions have changed in recent years. We started the meeting in an orderly fashion. We all lined up in orderly fashion. Verb Students fashioned the clay into small figures. She used the scraps of fabric to fashion a little doll's dress. a table fashioned out of an old door
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There were also poignant fashion moments in the mix, too. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 De Ville Prestige Buy Now $4,600 Aside from the fashion, this year’s Oscars was a high-wattage night filled of surprise wins, electric performances and moving speeches. Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The 2024 Oscars red carpet was full of notable fashion, and many stars chose to add a red pin to their looks in support of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024 Yeoh, 61, who was announced as an ambassador for the fashion house last November, styled the shimmering, silver dress with black opera gloves and a pair of matching pumps. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The impressive receipts also came with frenzied buzz, boosted by a dizzying amount of marketing tie-ins and Robbie’s impressive press-tour fashions inspired by actual looks worn by the famous doll over the years. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The movie went on to become a global hit and an Oscar favorite whose popularity changed the course of contemporary fashion. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024 To say that It-Girl and 1960s gamine-about-London Patricia Anne (Pattie) Boyd was a muse to George Harrison and Eric Clapton, two of the most influential guitarists in rock, is to understate her influence on British music and British fashion between 1964 and 1988. Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Born in San Salvador in 1987, Torres is the eldest son of a civil engineer father and a mother who is an architect and fashion designer. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
D’Agostino, a watch lover, fashioned the dial’s volume indicator to emulate the hands of a Swiss timepiece. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2024 This one from the 1940s is fashioned from 18k yellow gold and platinum. Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 New plans fashioned by the three major utilities are based primarily on household size and the federal poverty levels. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 There is no credible way to bring the war in Gaza to an end without trying to fashion a new, more stable order there. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Now, judges are looking at conditions in federal prison as part of their calculus for fashioning a sentence. Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Use a creeping vine or grape vine to fashion the handle. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 By putting spiritual material into his work, Morrisseau was defying both colonial and Indigenous pressures while fashioning a new artistic style that injected Anishinaabe ideas into Western art. Jordan Michael Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Stripped of their brown paint and polished, each fragment will weigh 18 grams, or just over half an ounce, and be fashioned into a hexagon — the shape of France. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fashion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fasoun, fasioun, fascioun, facioun, borrowed from Anglo-French façun, fauschoun "production, construction, appearance, form, sort, manner," going back to Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making," from facere "to make, bring about, do" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fact

Note: The Anglo-French form with a hushing consonant that was borrowed into Middle English reflects the Picard outcome of the Latin cluster [ktj]. A doublet of faction.

Verb

Middle English fascionen, in part verbal derivative of fascioun fashion entry 1, in part borrowed from Middle French façonner, derivative of façon fashion entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fashion was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fashion

Cite this Entry

“Fashion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fashion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fashion

1 of 2 noun
fash·​ion ˈfash-ən How to pronounce fashion (audio)
1
: the shape or form of something
2
: manner sense 2, way
behave in a strange fashion
3
: a common style especially of dress during a particular time or among a certain group
an idea that is out of fashion

fashion

2 of 2 verb
fashioned; fashioning ˈfash-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce fashion (audio)
: to give shape or form to
fashioner noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English facioun "shape, manner," from early French façon (same meaning), from Latin faction-, factio "action of making," from facere "to make, do" — related to artificial, benefit, confection, factory, manufacture, perfect, satisfy

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