Meanings
tailor1
nountailor (plural tailors)
plural tailors · alternative obsolete tailour · alternative obsolete taylor · alternative obsolete taylour
- A person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.
He works as a tailor on Swanston Street.
Synonyms: needleworker, tailorer
- AustraliaBluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).
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.
1880, New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Council, Journal (volume 30, part 3, page 460)Synonyms: bluefish
verbtailor (third-person singular simple present tailors, present participle tailoring, simple past and past participle tailored)
present singular third person tailors · participle present tailoring · participle past tailored · past tailored · alternative obsolete tailour · alternative obsolete taylor · alternative obsolete taylour
- figurativelytransitiveTo make or adapt (something) for a specific need.
The website was tailored to the client's needs.
1 more example
[C]aregivers from diverse backgrounds may experience variations in the emergence of depressive symptoms, necessitating distinct strategies for support tailored to their individual needs.
2024 December 16, Amanda M. Y. Chu, Damen H. Y. Woo, Agnes Tiwari, Helina Yuk, Mike K. P. So, “Which types of family caregivers are more prone to developing depression? Leveraging non-financial social support to mitigate depression”, in Current Psychology, →DOI
Tailor2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who makes, repairs, or alters clothes professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.
Similar
needleworkertailorer
nounBluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).
Similar
verbTo make, repair, or alter clothes.
Similar
verbTo restrict (something) in order to meet a particular need.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person whose occupation is making and altering garments
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tailor · noun, verb
- Latintālea
- Late Latintāliō
- Old Frenchtaillier
- Old Frenchtailleor
- Anglo-Normantaillour
- Middle Englishtaillour
- Englishtailor
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. Compare typologically German Schneider (akin to English snithe); Macedonian кројач (krojač), Polish krawiec (akin to Proto-Slavic *krojiti).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ῥαφιδεύς
- ῥαφιδεύς (rhaphideús)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Arabic خَيَّاط, خَيَّاطَة
- خَيَّاط (ḵayyāṭ)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- خَيَّاطَة (ḵayyāṭa)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- تَرْزِي (tarzī)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- تَرْزِيَّة (tarziyya)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Basque jostun
- jostunperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Bengali দর্জি, দরজী
- দর্জি (dorji)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- দরজী (dorji)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- দরজি (dorji)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Bulgarian шива́ч, шива́чка
- шива́ч (šiváč)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- шива́чка (šiváčka)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- шия (šija)make, repair, or alter clothing
Catalan sastre, sastressa
- sastreperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- sastressaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Chinese Cantonese 裁縫 /裁缝, 度身訂造 /度身订造
- 裁縫 /裁缝person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- 度身訂造 /度身订造make, repair, or alter clothing
Chinese Mandarin 裁縫 /裁缝, 裁縫師傅 /裁缝师傅
- 裁縫 /裁缝 (cáifeng)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- 裁縫師傅 /裁缝师傅 (cáifeng shīfu)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- 量身定做make, repair, or alter clothing
Czech krejčí, krejčíř
- krejčíperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- krejčířperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Danish skrædder, skrædderske
- skrædderperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- skrædderskeperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Dutch kleermaker, kleermaakster
- kleermakerperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- kleermaaksterperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- kleermakenmake, repair, or alter clothing
- op maat makenmake, repair, or alter clothing
- afstemmenadapt for a specific need
- aanpassenrestrict something to particular need
- afstemmenrestrict something to particular need
Esperanto tajloro, virtajloro
- tajloroperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- virtajloroperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- tajlorinoperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Estonian rätsep
- rätsepperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Finnish räätäli, vaatturi
- räätäliperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- vaatturiperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- räätälöidämake, repair, or alter clothing
- korjaillamake, repair, or alter clothing
- räätälöidäadapt for a specific need
- räätälöidärestrict something to particular need
French tailleur, tailleuse
- tailleurperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- tailleuseperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- adapterrestrict something to particular need
German Schneider, Schneiderin
- Schneiderperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- Schneiderinperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- schneidernmake, repair, or alter clothing
- zuschneidenrestrict something to particular need
- anpassenrestrict something to particular need
Greek ράπτης, ράφτης
- ράπτης (ráptis)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- ράφτης (ráftis)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- μόδιστρος m μοδίστρα (módistros)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Hebrew חַיָּט
- חַיָּט (khayát)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Hindi दर्ज़ी
- दर्ज़ी (darzī)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Hungarian szabó, szabónő
- szabóperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- szabónőfemale tailor
Icelandic klæðskeri, skraddari
- klæðskeriperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- skraddariperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Indonesian penjahit
- penjahitperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Irish táilliúir
- táilliúirperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Italian sarto, sarta
- sartoperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- sartaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- calibrareadapt for a specific need
Japanese 仕立て屋, テーラー
- 仕立て屋 (shitateya)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- テーラー (tērā)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Korean 재단사
- 재단사 (jaedansa)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Latin sartor, sartrīx
- sartorperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- sartrīxperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- scissorperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- vestitorperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- vestificusperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Latvian drēbnieks, šuvējs
- drēbnieksperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- šuvējsperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Lithuanian siuvėjas, siuvėja
- siuvėjasperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- siuvėjaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Malay tukang jahit, jahit
- tukang jahitperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- jahitmake, repair, or alter clothing
Māori kaitui
- kaituiperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Norwegian skredde
- skreddeadapt for a specific need
Norwegian Bokmål skredder, skredderske
- skredderperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- skredderskeperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Polish krawiec, krawcowa
- krawiecperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- krawcowaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- krawczyniperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- krawcowafemale tailor
- krawczynifemale tailor
- szyćmake, repair, or alter clothing
- dopasowywaćadapt for a specific need
- dopasowaćadapt for a specific need
- dopasowywaćrestrict something to particular need
- dopasowaćrestrict something to particular need
Portuguese alfaiate, alfaiatar
- alfaiateperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- alfaiatarmake, repair, or alter clothing
- adaptarrestrict something to particular need
- ajustarrestrict something to particular need
Punjabi ਦਰਜ਼ੀ, ਦਰਜ਼ਣ
- ਦਰਜ਼ੀ (darzī)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- ਦਰਜ਼ਣ (darzaṇ)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Romanian croitor, croitoreasă
- croitorperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- croitoreasăperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- croimake, repair, or alter clothing
- adaptaadapt for a specific need
- adaptarestrict something to particular need
Russian портно́й, портни́ха
- портно́й (portnój)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- портни́ха (portníxa)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- швец (švec)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- швея́ (švejá)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- шить (šitʹ)make, repair, or alter clothing
- приспоса́бливать (prisposáblivatʹ)restrict something to particular need
Scottish Gaelic tàillear
- tàillearperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Slovak krajčír, krajčírka
- krajčírperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- krajčírkaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Spanish sastre, modisto
- sastreperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- modistoperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- modistaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- costureroperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- alfayateperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- confeccionarmake, repair, or alter clothing
- entallaradapt for a specific need
- cohonestaradapt for a specific need
- aportaradapt for a specific need
- entallarrestrict something to particular need
Swahili mshonaji
- mshonajiperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Swedish skräddare, skrädderska
- skräddareperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- skrädderskaperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- skräddarsyrestrict something to particular need
- anpassarestrict something to particular need
Tagalog mananahi, sastre
- mananahiperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- sastreperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Tamil தையற்கலைஞர்
- தையற்கலைஞர் (taiyaṟkalaiñar)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Thai ช่างตัดเสื้อ
- ช่างตัดเสื้อ (châang-dtàt-sʉ̂ʉa)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Turkish terzi, dikici
- terziperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- dikiciperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- dikişçiperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Ukrainian краве́ць, кравчи́ня
- краве́ць (kravécʹ)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- кравчи́ня (kravčýnja)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Urdu دَرْزی, خَیَّاط
- دَرْزی (darzī)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- خَیَّاط (xayyāt)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Vietnamese thợ may
- thợ mayperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Welsh teiliwr
- teiliwrperson who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Yiddish שנײַדער, שנײַדערקע
- שנײַדער (shnayder)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
- שנײַדערקע (shnayderke)person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing as profession
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tailor
taylortrailersailorscalarmailernailerwhalerscalerjailerTraylorvelarmalarwailerbrailerderailergaolerbraillerloudhailerrailerunveilerwaler
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
tailor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor
MLA
“tailor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tailor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailor.
Source: tailor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.