English Reference
Noun

hairdresser

n. countable
A2 Elementary US /ˈhɛɹˌdɹɛsɝ/ UK /hˈeədɹɛsɐ/ hair·dress·er UK spelling hairdressers

n.a person whose job is to cut, wash, and style people's hair. You usually visit them at a shop called a salon.

n.a professional whose occupation involves cutting, colouring, and styling hair to improve or maintain a client's appearance.


SIMPLE

I need to book an appointment with my hairdresser for a trim.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of working for a large salon, she decided to open her own business as a mobile hairdresser.

COMPLEX

A skilled hairdresser must possess both the technical proficiency to execute complex cuts and the interpersonal skills to interpret a client's often vague aesthetic desires.

Usage

Commonly used to refer to both the individual professional and, metonymically, the salon itself ('at the hairdresser').

Pitfall
I am going to the hair dresserI am going to the hairdresser

In modern English, 'hairdresser' is written as a single compound word without a space.


From hair + dress + -er.

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

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Occasional
Updated