cross-dressing

noun

cross-dress·​ing ˈkrȯs-ˌdre-siŋ How to pronounce cross-dressing (audio)
: the wearing of clothes designed for the opposite sex
cross-dress intransitive verb
cross-dresser noun

Examples of cross-dressing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But before the gender-bending, cross-dressing antics unfold, Harris will encourage Americans to register to vote. Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 25 July 2024 While looking for belonging, a trans actor becomes best friends with the spirit of William Shakespeare and embraces the gender-fluid, cross-dressing roots in the latter's plays. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 22 July 2024 Isabelle Eberhardt: Travel’s Rebel with a Cause A hash-smoking, cross-dressing woman traveling the Sahara in the early 1900s, Eberhardt unpicked the fabric of society just by being herself. JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 There was a lot of singing and erotic dancing in the barn, but also some serious, pioneering discussions in which psychiatrists from the Kinsey Institute spoke about the psychology of cross-dressing in a safe space. Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 June 2024 Big Momma’s House (2000) The Hangover movies look highbrow compared to one of Giamatti’s first major gigs: playing the long-suffering buddy-cop partner to a cross-dressing Martin Lawrence. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 Editor’s picks This kind of closeted representation was less than ideal — as were later visions of non-cisgender identity in horror (see cross-dressing serial killers, like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs). Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2024 While acknowledging the problematic nature of its comedy — which pokes fun at cross-dressing cis straight men — Some Like It Hot pushed boundaries in an era constrained by the Hays Code, paving the way for other films to discuss themes of gender performance and homosexuality. James Mercadante and Kelsie Calderon, EW.com, 19 Sep. 2023 British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s helmed a gonzo fantasy with a cross-dressing Robert De Niro, a vigilante superhero flick with a foul-mouthed, killer kid, and a delirious spin on Bond with Colin Firth. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cross-dressing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cross-dressing was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near cross-dressing

Cite this Entry

“Cross-dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-dressing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cross-dressing

noun
cross-dress·​ing
ˈkrȯs-ˌdres-iŋ
: the wearing of clothes made for the opposite sex
cross-dresser
-ər
noun

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