1
: the display of merchandise in a retail store window
2
a
: the act or an instance of making something appear deceptively attractive or favorable
b
: something used to create a deceptively favorable or attractive impression
window dresser
noun
: to make appear more attractive or more favorable
may be necessary to window-dress … an offering of bonds—
Scientific American
Scientific AmericanSynonyms of window dressing
Examples of window dressing in a Sentence
Noun
These changes are being made for a good reason. They're not just window dressing.
the crime-does-not-pay moralizing is just window dressing for nasty hard-boiled stories
Recent Examples on the Web
Will MacKin,
New Yorker,
28 June 2026
Sayeh believes the war has essentially destroyed what was left of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy and removed any window dressing suggesting the country wasn’t a de facto military dictatorship.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2026
But all of that will just be window dressing.
—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Everyone else is window dressing.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for window dressing
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Noun
The scenarios were nothing more than window dressing—meant to evoke the chaotic night raids that would be our mission downrange.
—
Will MacKin,
New Yorker,
28 June 2026
Sayeh believes the war has essentially destroyed what was left of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy and removed any window dressing suggesting the country wasn’t a de facto military dictatorship.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2026
But all of that will just be window dressing.
—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Everyone else is window dressing.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for window dressing
Cite this Entry
“Window dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/window%20dressing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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