cou·ture
kü-ˈtu̇r 
-ˈtᵫr
-ˈtᵫr
1
: the business of designing, making, and selling fashionable custom-made clothing
the world of Paris couture
2
: the designers and establishments engaged in couture
For more than a century, the couture was the undisputed fashion source for women in the Western world.—
Bernadine Morris
Bernadine Morris3
: the clothes created by couture
For them, buying French couture has become a status symbol, something to rack up along with their brand-new BMWs and their hacienda-style villas …—Vogue
Vogue
: of, relating to, or being high-end custom-made fashion
Neither are these designers unduly concerned about styles that lend themselves to being folded and packed—the couture clientele travels with trunks, not duffel bags, and, presumably, there is always someone on the other end to take care of the wrinkles.—Bernadine Morris
Bernadine MorrisHowever, Owens credits his success to the ease of what he calls his "T-shirt versions of couture dresses."—David Colman
David ColmanExamples of couture in a Sentence
Noun
The book discusses the relationship between culture and couture.
I can't afford to wear couture.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jada Yuan, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Nevertheless, kudos to the costume team for a different outfit that Grace wears in the second half of the film that’s an absolute jaw-dropper of goth couture with black netting and a tiara.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Luke Leitch, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
The pandemic gave them the space and time to develop semi-couture line Judassime, with a first collection revealed in 2021, one day before the Royal Academy of Fine Arts’ traditional annual student fashion showcase as a tongue-in-cheek nod to their unsuccessful applications.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for couture
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Noun
The costuming, though, is wholly unique and a little like couture Hot Topic by way of the boho revolution.
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Nevertheless, kudos to the costume team for a different outfit that Grace wears in the second half of the film that’s an absolute jaw-dropper of goth couture with black netting and a tiara.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Even at the show itself, some onlookers had found Lantink’s first non-couture collection from the house for a decade or so too challenging for their sensibilities to compute.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
The pandemic gave them the space and time to develop semi-couture line Judassime, with a first collection revealed in 2021, one day before the Royal Academy of Fine Arts’ traditional annual student fashion showcase as a tongue-in-cheek nod to their unsuccessful applications.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for couture
Cite this Entry
“Couture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/couture. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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