tailor
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to make by tailor's work.
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to fashion or adapt to a particular taste, purpose, need, etc..
to tailor one's actions to those of another.
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to fit or furnish with clothing.
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Chiefly U.S. Military. to make (a uniform) to order; cut (a ready-made uniform) so as to cause to fit more snugly; taper.
verb (used without object)
noun
noun
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a person who makes, repairs, or alters outer garments, esp menswear
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a voracious and active marine food fish, Pomatomus saltator, of Australia with scissor-like teeth
verb
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to cut or style (material, clothes, etc) to satisfy certain requirements
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(tr) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific
he tailored his speech to suit a younger audience
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(intr) to follow the occupation of a tailor
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has tailoredperfect 3rd person singular
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have tailoredperfect
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is tailoringprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been tailoringperfect progressive
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are tailoringprogressive
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am tailoringprogressive 1st person singular
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tailoringparticiple
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tailorssingular 3rd person
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has been tailoringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had tailoredperfect
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was tailoringprogressive singular
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tailoredsimple
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were tailoringprogressive plural
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had been tailoringperfect progressive
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tailoredparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of tailor1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor, from taill(ier) “to cut” (from Late Latin tāliāre, derivative of Latin tālea “rod, cutting,” literally, “heel-piece”; see tally) + -or -or 2
Origin of tailor2
Alteration by folk etymology of teller
Explanation
A tailor helps make your clothes fit you better. Similarly, when you tailor something to the needs of others, you are adjusting what you do to best suit them rather than taking a general approach. The word tailor comes from the Latin taliare, meaning "to cut." A tailor is someone who cuts and adjusts your clothing to better fit. When you tailor a jacket, you have it taken in to better suit your physique. But tailor isn't used strictly in reference to clothing. For example, a restaurant might tailor an order for a vegetarian by getting rid of the meat in a portion. A teacher might tailor a lesson plan to the demands of her ESL students.
Vocabulary lists containing tailor
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pair visited Gammarelli, then the official tailor of the papacy, where he purchased an ankle-length black cassock, usually worn by priests.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
A deeper understanding of how these lasers behave could help scientists improve their stability and tailor them more effectively for specialized applications.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
“But we see many other plausible opportunities to tailor medicines to different groups. As you noted, retatrutide is one of those ideas, which very obviously could play to individuals who are seeking greater weight loss.”
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
He says that before his arrest he was training to become a tailor and would have finished by now and set up his own business.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
Other times, we would go to the tailor and ask for leftover fabrics.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
