1
a
: a loose flowing outer garment formerly worn by men
b
: a distinctive robe worn by a professional or academic person
c
: a woman's dress
d(1)
(2)
e
: a coverall worn in an operating room
2
: the body of students and faculty of a college or university
rivalry between town and gown
gown transitive verb

Examples of gown in a Sentence

The bride wore a lovely lace wedding gown. a shopping trip for the express purpose of finding the perfect gown for the wedding
Recent Examples on the Web Most recently, King served as a presenter at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday and wore an orange gown — a nod to her son’s favorite color. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The 27-year-old actress wore a Giorgio Armani Privé gown which features a palm tree print. Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 As Selena Gomez recently demonstrated, a plunging firetruck red gown with a thigh-high slit will put anyone in a party mood, no tights required. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2024 Her feather-peplum gown also featured feathers at the hem, and Nyong’o completed the look with a delicate light-blue eye shadow and a bold dose of body glitter. Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Its leading star, Lily Gladstone, was nominated for best actress and delivered one of the best red carpet looks of the night, sporting a custom Gucci gown made in collaboration with Joe Big Mountain, an Indigenous artist renowned for his quillwork. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Ava DuVernay created her own red carpet moment in a sleek, blue custom Louis Vuitton gown. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Mar. 2024 The voluminous sleeves on Grande’s pink gown could have covered a couple of beanbag chairs. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 The couple started dating in 2013 and since then, Christie has worn several of Deacon’s gowns on the red carpet. Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gown.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French gune, goune, from Late Latin gunna, a fur or leather garment

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Dictionary Entries Near gown

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

gown

noun
1
: an official robe worn especially by a judge, a member of the clergy, or a teacher
2
: a woman's dress
especially : one suitable for afternoon or evening wear
3
: a loose robe (as a dressing gown or a nightgown)
gown verb
gowned
ˈgau̇nd
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on gown

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