1
a
: a loose flowing outer garment formerly worn by men
b
: a distinctive robe worn by a professional or academic person
c
: a woman's dress
d(1)
(2)
e
: a coverall worn in an operating room
2
: the body of students and faculty of a college or university
rivalry between town and gown
gown transitive verb

Examples of gown in a Sentence

The bride wore a lovely lace wedding gown. a shopping trip for the express purpose of finding the perfect gown for the wedding
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Arian DeBose flipped red carpet attire on its head with her white slip gown. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 9 June 2025 The clip, featuring her sister trying on the gown, has received more than 126,000 likes and over 1.5 million views on the platform. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025 Pastor Lorenzo Jones stood in a tub of water in his white pulpit gown. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025 Picture the gown, the applause, the sense of achievement. Maja Zelihic, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gown

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French gune, goune, from Late Latin gunna, a fur or leather garment

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gown was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gown. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

gown

noun
1
: an official robe worn especially by a judge, a member of the clergy, or a teacher
2
: a woman's dress
especially : one suitable for afternoon or evening wear
3
: a loose robe (as a dressing gown or a nightgown)
gown verb
gowned
ˈgau̇nd
adjective

Medical Definition

gown

noun
: a garment designed to be worn by health care professionals or patients: such as
a
: a sterile one-piece coverall worn by health care personnel especially during a medical procedure to prevent the dispersal of bodily fluids or infectious material : surgical gown
b
: a loose robe that is usually open in the back and is worn by patients in a medical facility (such as a hospital) : hospital gown

More from Merriam-Webster on gown

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