decorate
[dek-uh-reyt]
- to furnish or adorn with something ornamental or becoming; embellish: to decorate walls with murals.
- to plan and execute the design, furnishings, and ornamentation of the interior of (a house, office, apartment, etc.), especially by selecting colors, fabrics, and style of furniture, by making minor structural changes, etc.: Their house is decorated in French Provincial style.
- to confer distinction upon by a badge, a medal of honor, etc.: to decorate a soldier for valor.
Origin of decorate
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. ornament, bedeck, trim, garnish, festoon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for decorate
Contemporary Examples
The owner rescued pieces from deserted monasteries to decorate the hotel.
But not Igor Olenicoff, who was caught commissioning forged sculptures to decorate his California properties.
I had dated non-Jews before, but none went so far as to decorate their home with such blatantly pious trinkets.
Five works by Russian-born artist Kon Trubkovich decorate its booth.
Awful lot of work to make and decorate, but she said that the finished result was worth the trouble.
Historical Examples
If people wished to decorate, they would decorate, and if they didn't, they wouldn't.
But for the sake of peace and harmony he was willing to decorate all round.
It was to set apart a day to decorate the graves of the Union dead.
The work of my hands is visible; with it I am going to decorate your table.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
But those antlers—I promised to decorate my room with those, Max!
With Trapper Jim in the North WoodsLawrence J. Leslie
decorate
- (tr) to make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc
- to paint or wallpaper (a room, house, etc)
- (tr) to confer a mark of distinction, esp a military medal, upon
- (tr) to evaporate a metal film onto (a crystal) in order to display dislocations in structure
Word Origin
C16: from Latin decorāre, from decus adornment; see decent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for decorate
v.
early 15c., from Latin decoratus, past participle of decorare "to decorate, adorn, embellish, beautify," from decus (genitive decoris) "an ornament," from PIE root *dek- "to receive, be suitable" (see decent). Related: Decorated; decorating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper