English Reference

Word

deb

US/ˈdɛb/

UK/dˈɛb/

Definition

n. a young woman from a wealthy or high-class family who is making her first official appearance in society. It is a short way of saying 'debutante'.

n. a young woman of high social standing who is being formally introduced to society. A clipped form of 'debutante', typically used in informal or social registers.

Examples

“She is preparing for her first ball as a deb.”

“The local newspaper published a special section featuring photos of every deb attending the winter gala.”

“While the tradition has faded in many regions, certain social circles still host elaborate events where each deb is presented to the community in formal attire.”

Examples

simple

“She is preparing for her first ball as a deb.”

contextual

“The local newspaper published a special section featuring photos of every deb attending the winter gala.”

complex

“While the tradition has faded in many regions, certain social circles still host elaborate events where each deb is presented to the community in formal attire.”

Usage

Informal clipping of 'debutante'; primarily used in British and American high-society contexts.

Etymology

Shortening.

Borrowed from Bengali দেব (deb).

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

Domain

Biology

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference