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fancy dress

(uncountable) Formalwear.

ˈfænsi ˈdɹɛsCurrent164 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
2 definitions
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Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(uncountable) Formalwear.

And yet here he was, if one could credit one's senses, about to take part in a fancy-dress ball, a form of entertainment notoriously a testing experience for the toughest. And he was attending that fancy-dress ball, mark you--not, like e…
Heard in the wild
  • “And on today’s episode of bread and circus you can watch the 1% do fancy dress!!!”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Mum called with great excitement saying that she had found some sweeties shaped like eyeballs, I thought she was buying them for the grandchildren but it turns out she is in Lourdes and there is a fancy dress competition tonight and she is now going as St Lucy. catholic fun.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(UK, Australia) A costume, disguise to masquerade as something or someone else.

And yet here he was, if one could credit one's senses, about to take part in a fancy-dress ball, a form of entertainment notoriously a testing experience for the toughest. And he was attending that fancy-dress ball, mark you--not, like e…
For parents

Fancy dress means: A costume, disguise to masquerade as something or someone else.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. It has drug-related associations; worth a calm conversation about which side of the topic your teen is on. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

fancy dress means: A costume, disguise to masquerade as something or someone else.. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

Cluster: drugs
Heard in the wild
  • “It's a trick question, they are all squirrels just two are in fancy dress because it's Halloween.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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