What does "tailor" mean?
A person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.
Tailor
/ˈteɪlɚ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.
- Grammar: tailor is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accommodate, accommodates, accord, accustom.
- Useful contrasts: prepackaged, boilerplate contract, form letter.
- Usage evidence: The actor used to have the tailor make his suits.
How to use "tailor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tailor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tailor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tailor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tailor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tailor" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accommodate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tailor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.
"He works as a tailor on Swanston Street."
- 2 a person whose occupation is making and altering garments wordnet
- 3 Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Australia
"The tailor — is that a sea fish — a line fish? It is a sea fish, but not a line fish. They will bite at a line, but they are not a fish you can depend on with the line."
Verb
- 1 To make, repair, or alter clothes. ambitransitive
"We can tailor that jacket for you if you like."
- 2 adjust to a specific need or market wordnet
- 3 To make or adapt (something) for a specific need. figuratively, transitive
"The website was tailored to the client's needs."
- 4 create (clothes) with cloth wordnet
- 5 To restrict (something) in order to meet a particular need. figuratively, transitive
"a narrowly tailored law"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 style and tailor in a certain fashion wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation for a tailor.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The actor used to have the tailor make his suits."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tailor"?
Common synonyms include: accommodate, accommodates, accord, accustom, act prep program, actual conditions.
How do you use "tailor" in a sentence?
The actor used to have the tailor make his suits.
How do you pronounce "tailor"?
Pronounced /ˈteɪlɚ/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English taillour, from Anglo-Norman taillour, from Old French tailleor, from taillier, from Late Latin tāliō, from Latin tālea (“a cutting”). Doublet of tailleur.