dress for (someone or something)
1. To wear certain clothes in order to make someone else happy. I'm sorry, Mom, but I'm 25 years old—I can't dress for you anymore! Yeah, I've dressed for boyfriends in the past, but those days are over—I'm not an insecure teenager anymore. A: "How can you stand still having to dress for your parents?" B: "Eh, only for church. I can wear whatever I want otherwise."
2. To wear clothing that is appropriate for a specific occasion or outcome (as in the phrase "dress for success"). You're dressed for a trip to the mall, not a formal event. Please go change. I dressed for success in a suit and tie, but I don't think the recruiter was very impressed with me. You're not dressed for church in an outfit like that! How many times do I have to remind you not to wear jeans?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
dress for someone
to clothe oneself to please someone. I don't dress for you! Don't tell me how I should look! Sally says she dresses for her friends, but she really dresses for herself.
dress for something
to clothe oneself suitably for some occasion or activity, or for success. Finally, I learned to dress for success. I can wear my tuxedo if you want me to dress for the formal dinner.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.