adorn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
adorns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adorned,
past participle, past
-
adorning
present participle
verb
-
to decorate
she adorned her hair with flowers
-
to increase the beauty, distinction, etc, of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
adornernoun
-
adornmentnoun
-
nonadornernoun
-
overadornverb (used with object)
-
preadornverb (used with object)
-
readornverb (used with object)
-
superadornverb (used with object)
-
nonadorningadjective
-
readorningadjective
-
self-adorningadjective
-
adorninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
adornsimple
-
adornssimple
-
have adornedperfect
-
has adornedperfect
-
am adorningprogressive
-
are adorningprogressive
-
is adorningprogressive
-
have been adorningperfect progressive
-
has been adorningperfect progressive
Past
-
adornedsimple
-
had adornedperfect
-
was adorningprogressive
-
were adorningprogressive
-
had been adorningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of adorn
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English adornen, from Latin adōrnāre, equivalent to ad- ad- + ōrnāre “to dress” ( see ornate); replacing late Middle English aourne, from Middle French, from Latin
Explanation
To adorn is to dress something up by decorating it. You might adorn your poncho with fringe or your poodle's dog collar with rhinestones. Adorn shares some Latin roots with words like ornament and ornate. So it makes sense that some people adorn their Christmas trees with tinsel and lights. Others adorn their eyelids with glitter. In any case, if you want to adorn yourself with all kinds of fabulous baubles, it might be wise to follow Coco Chanel's advice: take at least one accessory off before you walk out the door.
Vocabulary lists containing adorn
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nailed on to adorn bedroom walls from Buenos Aires to Barcelona and be splashed across billboards the world over.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
How we adorn ourselves is extremely personal, even a little superstitious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Americans of most political stripes unabashedly fly the American flag from their homes and adorn everything from T-shirts to trucks with the red, white and blue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“That picture was made, not to conceal, or destroy the apple; but to adorn, and preserve it. The picture was made for the apple—not the apple for the picture.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The first art objects were created not to adorn the body or decorate the cavern but out of an attempt to control or appease natural forces.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
Glimpses of the Doheny Mansion, clockwise from left: the music room; a stained glass sky light; a sculpture adorns a table in the Pompeian Room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
George Yount, whose name adorns Yountville, wrote of seeing 50 or 60 bears one day, and killing five or six of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Abehsera said he struck a deal with local partners, an Albanian conglomerate called Kastrati, whose name adorns gas stations around the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
It was Brown, a Rhode Island blue blood whose name now adorns an Ivy League university, who in 1790 financed Slater’s stolen ideas for a state-of-the-art cotton mill.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Masterpieces woven from mulberry silk or pure sheep wool by artisans have adorned imperial courts, museums and luxury homes across the world over the centuries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
His and Lissie's wedding pictures adorned the front pages, police forces and football clubs held minutes' silences and blue ribbons were displayed in his hometown of Wallingford.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
But all of that changed with “Yesterday,” which Martin adorned with a string quartet.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
The colorful aesthetic follows into the kitchen, which is adorned with sage green cabinetry, a wooden island, and state-of-the-art appliances.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
He wore the customary special-occasion robe of the Uncle, adorned with trees and various animals enchanted to scuttle about the fabric, and, of course, the bluebird brooch he received when he became Uncle.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
We would be sipping ice-cold spritzes at cafés overlooking the Mediterranean, frolicking down cobblestone streets lined with charming boutiques, and marveling at the frescoes and marble sculptures adorning grand cathedrals.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
There are no betting odds adorning the scrolling scoreboard.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
Housed in the Tower of London, the massive 106 carat stone is the star of Britain's crown jewels, adorning the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
An attempt to impress the Chairwoman by adorning a space at the club in colonial chic backfires.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
There are countless tattoos, and yet they meld and flow into one design gracefully adorning her like an elegant, unusual piece of jewelry.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
