UNDRESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does undress mean? 

• UNDRESS (noun)
  The noun UNDRESS has 1 sense:

1. partial or complete nakedness

  Familiarity information: UNDRESS used as a noun is very rare.

• UNDRESS (verb)
  The verb UNDRESS has 2 senses:

1. get undressed

2. remove (someone's or one's own) clothes

  Familiarity information: UNDRESS used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNDRESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Partial or complete nakedness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

a state of undress

Hypernyms ("undress" is a kind of...):

nakedness; nudeness; nudity (the state of being without clothing or covering of any kind)

Derivation:

undress (get undressed)

undress (remove (someone's or one's own) clothes)

• UNDRESS (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they undress    ... he / she / it undresses   
Past simple: undressed   
Past participle: undressed   
-ing form: undressing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Get undressed

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

discase; disrobe; peel; strip; strip down; uncase; unclothe; undress

Context example:

She strips in front of strangers every night for a living

Hypernyms (to "undress" is one way to...):

take off (take away or remove)

Verb group:

disinvest; divest; strip; undress (remove (someone's or one's own) clothes)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "undress"):

take off (remove clothes)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

They undress
They undress themselves

Antonym:

dress (put on clothes)

dress (provide with clothes or put clothes on)

Derivation:

undress (partial or complete nakedness)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Remove (someone's or one's own) clothes

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

disinvest; divest; strip; undress

Context example:

He disinvested himself of his garments

Hypernyms (to "undress" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Verb group:

discase; disrobe; peel; strip; strip down; uncase; unclothe; undress (get undressed)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to undress the prisoners

Derivation:

undress (partial or complete nakedness)

 Context examples 

I wish I were with you, dear, sitting by the fire undressing, as we used to sit; and I would try to tell you what I feel.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Besides, she added, a message might possibly come from Mr. Rochester when she was undressed; "et alors quel dommage!"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

A scale grading dyspnea from 0 (not troubled with breathlessness except with strenuous exercise) to 4 (too breathless to leave the house or breathless when dressing or undressing).

(Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, NCI Thesaurus)

To get rid of her, I undressed quickly, extinguished my light, and went to bed.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

For some unknown reason, prompted mysteriously, I did not undress, but lay down fully clothed.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I would not undress myself, but lay on the bed-clothes, and in half an hour stole out, when I thought the crew was at dinner, and getting to the side of the ship, was going to leap into the sea, and swim for my life, rather than continue among Yahoos.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

She was soon undressed and in bed, and as she seemed desirous of being alone, her sister then left her, and while she waited the return of Mrs. Jennings, had leisure enough for thinking over the past.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

When they came to the stairs, the soldier ran on before the princesses, and laid himself down; and as the twelve sisters slowly came up very much tired, they heard him snoring in his bed; so they said, Now all is quite safe; then they undressed themselves, put away their fine clothes, pulled off their shoes, and went to bed.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

He was nowhere to be met with; every search for him was equally unsuccessful, in morning lounges or evening assemblies; neither at the Upper nor Lower Rooms, at dressed or undressed balls, was he perceivable; nor among the walkers, the horsemen, or the curricle-drivers of the morning.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Fortunately, each time I awoke in time and managed to undress her without waking her, and got her back to bed.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)