dress off
C1 formal intransitive
In simple words
A military instruction to line up neatly and make sure you are in the correct position in a row of soldiers.
Literal meaning: To dress (align) yourself off — away from — a reference point.
Meanings
1 C1 formal
In a military context, to align oneself correctly in a formation by reference to the soldier on one's flank.
"The sergeant ordered the recruits to dress off to the right and maintain proper spacing."
Usage notes
Highly specialised military terminology. Rarely encountered outside military training, historical writing, or novels set in a military context. Not used in everyday civilian speech.
Commonly used with
ranks formation parade line file soldiers
Forms
Base
dress off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
dresses off
he/she/it
Past simple
dressed off
yesterday
Past participle
dressed off
have + pp
-ing form
dressing off
continuous
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