variants
or less commonly bespoken
bi-ˈspō-kən 
bē-
1
a
: custom-made
a bespoke suit
b
: dealing in or producing custom-made articles
a bespoke tailor
2
dialect
: engaged
Did you know?
In the English language of yore, the verb bespeak had various meanings, including “to speak,” “to accuse,” and “to complain.” In the 16th century, bespeak acquired another meaning: “to order or arrange in advance.” It is from that sense that we get the adjective bespoke, referring to clothes and other things that are ordered before they are made. Bespoke has enjoyed a spike in usage in recent years, perhaps due to consumer trends that champion all things artisanal over those that are prefab.
Examples of bespoke in a Sentence
a wealthy man who can easily afford bespoke suits
Recent Examples on the Web
To top it all off, the watch is delivered in a bespoke Hublot Green box adorned with the Aspen One emblem.
—
Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025
Any art that lives on the outside of the yacht – ceiling panels, statues, bespoke furniture – can be tricky, as well.
—Katia Damborsky, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Even during a decade in which Shelley Duvall, Richard Pryor, Dustin Hoffman, Liza Minnelli, Telly Savalas, and other performers with faces off a city bus became marquee names, Hackman stood out by appearing ordinary while setting up bespoke fireworks displays.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Teams of people in underground control centers now use bespoke software to hit thousands of targets every month.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bespoke
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Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025
Any art that lives on the outside of the yacht – ceiling panels, statues, bespoke furniture – can be tricky, as well.
—Katia Damborsky, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Even during a decade in which Shelley Duvall, Richard Pryor, Dustin Hoffman, Liza Minnelli, Telly Savalas, and other performers with faces off a city bus became marquee names, Hackman stood out by appearing ordinary while setting up bespoke fireworks displays.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Teams of people in underground control centers now use bespoke software to hit thousands of targets every month.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bespoke
Articles Related to bespoke
Cite this Entry
“Bespoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bespoke. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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