English Reference
noun

attire

n.
US /əˈtaɪɝ/ UK /ɐtˈaɪə/ at·tire UK spelling attires

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    the clothes that you wear, especially for a special occasion or a specific job.

    clothing or dress, particularly of a distinctive or formal nature. Often used in professional or social contexts to specify a required standard of dress.

    Simple

    The invitation says that formal attire is required for the wedding dinner.

    In context

    The corporate handbook specifies that professional business attire must be worn at all times when meeting with prospective international clients.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    the horns of a deer or similar animal.

    the horns or antlers of a stag or deer. This sense is highly technical and restricted to hunting or heraldry.

    Simple

    The hunter examined the deer's attire to determine its age.

    In context

    In traditional heraldry, the stag is often depicted with its attire painted in a contrasting gold to signify nobility.

    antlershorns

Part of the message focused on the university’s policy for student attire .

The Guardian· 11 Aug 2026

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English atir
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated