fashion

fashion — noun

1. The set of choices in clothing, hair, and appearance that are widely liked and c

1.nounA2
Definition

The set of choices in clothing, hair, and appearance that are widely liked and copied within a community during a specific period.

Example

Yasmin always checks fashion magazines before buying new clothes for the season.

collocation: fashion magazines / fashion industry

The fashion for wearing wide-legged trousers returned after twenty years.

pattern: fashion for + [garment]

Common collocations
  • in fashion
  • out of fashion
  • come into fashion
  • go out of fashion
  • fashion designer
  • fashion show
  • fashion magazine
Synonyms
  • style

    broader term — can be personal or timeless, not tied to current popularity

  • trend

    implies movement and change over a shorter period; more data-driven

  • vogue

    more formal; suggests intense but brief popularity in elite circles

  • craze

    stronger, shorter-lived enthusiasm; often implies irrational excitement

Common Mistakes

This jacket is a fashion
This jacket is in fashion' or 'This jacket is fashionable
'fashion' is not a countable noun when referring to style; use 'in fashion' or 'fashionable' for describing items.

2. The habit or practice of choosing styles, products, or behaviors because they ar

2.nounB1
Definition

The habit or practice of choosing styles, products, or behaviors because they are currently popular, often in order to feel accepted by others.

Example

Minh follows fashion closely and buys whatever the influencers recommend.

collocation: follow fashion

Some people change their phone every year just to stay in fashion.

Common collocations
  • follow fashion
  • keep up with fashion
  • care about fashion
  • stay in fashion
Synonyms
  • trends

    plural noun focusing on specific items rather than the general habit

  • popularity

    focuses on the state of being liked, not the act of pursuing it

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person or group. Often used with verbs like 'follow', 'keep up with', 'care about'. This sense does not refer to a specific style (see sense 1) but to the general social practice of pursuing what is currently popular.

Common Mistakes

I follow the fashion of wearing sneakers
I follow fashion' or 'I keep up with fashion
'follow fashion' is a general activity; for a specific style, use 'in fashion' or 'trending'.

3. Used for describing a situation where someone consumes or does something in extr

3.nounB2
Definition

Used for describing a situation where someone consumes or does something in extremely large amounts, as if they believe there will soon be no chance to continue.

Example

Lakshmi has been buying novels like they are going out of fashion.

idiom: like it's going out of fashion

On the hot day, children ate ice cream like it was going out of fashion.

Common collocations
  • like it's going out of fashion
Synonyms
  • greedily

    describes the manner, not the fixed idiom

  • excessively

    more formal; describes the quantity without the idiomatic frame

Usage Note

Only used in the fixed expression 'like it is going out of fashion' or 'as if it is going out of fashion'. The comparison is deliberately exaggerated and informal.

4. A particular manner or method in which an action is performed or something happe

4.nounB1
Definition

A particular manner or method in which an action is performed or something happens.

Example

Jessica spoke to the children in a calm and gentle fashion.

pattern: in a + [adjective] + fashion

The new manager runs the office in a very organized fashion.

Common collocations
  • in a ... fashion
  • in a timely fashion
  • in a similar fashion
Synonyms
  • manner

    interchangeable but equally formal; 'manner' can also imply personal behaviour

  • way

    less formal and more common in everyday speech

  • mode

    more technical or academic; used in formal writing

Usage Note

Commonly follows the pattern 'in a [adjective] fashion' where the adjective describes the manner. This is a slightly more formal alternative to 'in a [adjective] way'. Not used with the adjective 'fashionable' — that belongs to sense 1.

5. To a limited or barely acceptable degree; able to perform a task but without muc

5.nounB2
Definition

To a limited or barely acceptable degree; able to perform a task but without much skill or success.

Example

Sofie can play the piano after a fashion, though she still needs much more practice.

idiom: after a fashion

Gabriel fixed the broken chair after a fashion, but it still wobbled under weight.

Common collocations
  • after a fashion
Synonyms
  • somehow

    focuses on the difficulty overcome, not the poor quality of the result

  • barely

    suggests the skill level is at the minimum threshold

Antonyms
  • skillfully

    doing something with expertise, the opposite of barely managing

  • well

    to a high standard, the opposite of poorly

Usage Note

Only used in the fixed phrase 'after a fashion', which always follows a verb describing the task. The phrase is mildly understating — the speaker is being polite about the poor quality.

Common Mistakes

He plays guitar after fashion
He plays guitar after a fashion
the 'a' is required; 'after a fashion' is a fixed expression.
Idioms

after a fashion

idiom

To a limited degree or not very well.

Maya can cook Italian dishes, after a fashion.

Does Diego speak Spanish? Only after a fashion.

after the fashion of somebody/something

idiom

In the style or manner of someone or something.

The garden was designed after the fashion of Versailles.

Sara paints after the fashion of the Impressionists.

in (a)… fashion

idiom

In a particular way or manner.

The children lined up in an orderly fashion.

Could you please explain it in a simple fashion?

like it’s going out of fashion

idiom

Used to emphasize that someone is doing or using something a lot.

Brian has been buying books like they're going out of fashion.

Aiden eats chocolate like it's going out of fashion.

fashion — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe widely-liked ways of dressing or behaving, but they differ in duration and intensity. 'Style' is the broadest term — it can be personal ('her own style') or describe a lasting design language ('Art Deco style'). 'Trend' suggests a measurable direction of change over weeks or months, often backed by data. 'Vogue' is more formal and suggests intense but short-lived popularity among an influential group — the phrase 'in vogue' is rarer now than 'in fashion'. 'Craze' is the shortest and strongest: everyone suddenly wants something, often irrationally ('the Pokémon card craze'). Use 'style' for something timeless, 'trend' for what is rising or falling, 'vogue' for elite circles, and 'craze' for short-term obsession.

style ↗trend ↗voguecraze

Common collocations

Phrases

  • in fashion
  • out of fashion
  • come into fashion
  • go out of fashion

Prepositions

  • fashion for
  • fashion in

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'fashion' entered English through Old French 'façon', meaning 'shape, appearance, or manner', which itself came from Latin 'factio' (a making or doing), derived from 'facere' (to make or do). Originally the word focused on the act of making or shaping something — you can still see this in the verb sense 'to fashion something by hand'. Over time, the meaning shifted from the process of making to the particular 'shape' or 'style' that something takes, and eventually to the idea of a popular style at a given moment. The modern sense of 'the fashion industry' emerged in the 19th century as clothing styles began to change rapidly with the rise of department stores and fashion magazines.