adorn
Americanverb (used with object)
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adorns,
present (3rd person singular)
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adorned,
past participle, past
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adorning
present participle
verb
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to decorate
she adorned her hair with flowers
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to increase the beauty, distinction, etc, of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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adornernoun
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adornmentnoun
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nonadornernoun
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overadornverb (used with object)
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preadornverb (used with object)
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readornverb (used with object)
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superadornverb (used with object)
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nonadorningadjective
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readorningadjective
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self-adorningadjective
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adorninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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adornsimple
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adornssimple
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have adornedperfect
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has adornedperfect
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am adorningprogressive
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are adorningprogressive
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is adorningprogressive
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have been adorningperfect progressive
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has been adorningperfect progressive
Past
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adornedsimple
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had adornedperfect
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was adorningprogressive
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were adorningprogressive
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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"
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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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:
In Boston, a team of workers stuck pieces of tape over the Gillette logos that usually adorn some of the 64,000-plus seats in the venue where the New England Patriots play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Some Iranian embassies have yet to hang portraits of him even though images of Iran’s supreme leader typically adorn most rooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
Awards for outstanding cuisine adorn Rozafa's shelves and pictures of famous diners, including Priscilla Presley and Boris Johnson, line its walls.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
It will adorn luxury hotels and residences across the Middle East, Europe and the United States, where the Vietnam-based Jonathan Charles furniture company has largely shrugged off US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
Not one to adorn an opinion, Jerry G. nodded.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Here, Fay Victor, a uniquely daring and creative singer, adorns her vocal with all manner of creaking, wailing, moaning and scatting, yet she maintains Bey’s feeling of directing a congregation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Working with the Kastrati family, a large Albanian business owner whose name adorns gas stations around the country, they put together a deal to buy land on the peninsula.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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
A fig tree adorns the ceiling in the hallway and birds fly up the stairs along the walls.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
Small red and yellow flowers and a trail of ivy spill out of the basket beneath them, and a tiny model of the medicine wheel on a spike adorns the center of the arrangement.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Thick, red curtains adorned the “window,” which the man used to peer outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 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
Tied to the mast of his ship as he and his crew pass the singing sirens, adorned on the jagged rocks at sea, Odysseus screams out with pain and desire.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Dancing Girl sculpture, which was discovered at Mohenjo-daro - one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation - depicts a girl adorned with ornaments with her hair tied in a bun.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Padva attends, after some coercion by Chandresh, gloriously adorned in golden silks embroidered with red filigree, crimson feathers in her white hair.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
There are no betting odds adorning the scrolling scoreboard.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
An attempt to impress the Chairwoman by adorning a space at the club in colonial chic backfires.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
"Unbelievable statues, come and look at them," said the 79-year-old Republican as he admired two new figures adorning the Rose Garden.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
She described the ladies loos as having a tropical feel with birds and plants adorning the walls and doors, and red velvet furniture available for customers to sit on.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
They used to play with me and let me touch the stars adorning their uniforms.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
