Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

attire

/əˈtaɪɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.49 in modern English

Syllables: at-tire
IPA: /əˈtaɪɚ/

6

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One's dress; what one wears; one's clothes.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The single horn of a goat, deer or stag.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To clothe or adorn.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"He was wearing his formal attire."
"The latter sign, however, may have some heraldic significance, as Larwood and Hotten mention a London token of 1666 on which a horseshoe is represented within a pair of antlers or deer's attires."
"We will attire him in fine clothing so he can make a good impression."
"He stood there, attired in his best clothes, waiting for applause."

Etymology

The verb is from Middle English atyren, atiren, from Old French atirier (“to equip”), from a- + tire (“rank”), akin to German Zier (“ornament”) and Old Norse tírr (“glory, renown”). The noun is from Middle English atir, from the verb.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: atyren, atirier, atir

Usage

Inflected Forms

attires (plural) attires (present, singular) attiring (participle, present) attired (participle, past) attired (past)

Derived Forms

attirement disattire reattire unattire

Frequently Paired Words

regalia

Synonyms

dight don dress garb overdress dress up fig out fig up deck up gussy up fancy up trick up

Rhymes With

fire higher entire prior require desire wire hire acquire buyer tire liar

Questions

How do you pronounce attire?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈtaɪɚ/.
What does attire mean?: One's dress; what one wears; one's clothes.
Where does attire come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce attire

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “attire”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əˈtaɪɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “attire”.
Repeat and practice — Say “attire” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.