decorate
Americanverb (used with object)
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decorates,
present (3rd person singular)
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decorated,
past participle, past
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decorating
present participle
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to furnish or adorn with something ornamental or becoming; embellish.
to decorate walls with murals.
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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.
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to confer distinction upon by a badge, a medal of honor, etc..
to decorate a soldier for valor.
verb
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(tr) to make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc
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to paint or wallpaper (a room, house, etc)
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(tr) to confer a mark of distinction, esp a military medal, upon
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(tr) to evaporate a metal film onto (a crystal) in order to display dislocations in structure
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decoratesimple
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decoratessimple
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have decoratedperfect
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has decoratedperfect
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am decoratingprogressive
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are decoratingprogressive
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is decoratingprogressive
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have been decoratingperfect progressive
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has been decoratingperfect progressive
Past
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decoratedsimple
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had decoratedperfect
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was decoratingprogressive
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were decoratingprogressive
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had been decoratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decorate
1375–1425; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin decorātus (past participle of decorāre ), equivalent to decor- (stem of decus ) an ornament, splendor, honor ( see decent) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Putting up paintings, stringing up lights, and getting some flowers are all ways to decorate a house. When you decorate, you make things look better or at least more interesting. Even an attractively furnished home can be decorated for a holiday or party. That means you dress up your house to celebrate the special occasion. Decorate is also used to describe certain kinds of success. A famous athlete might decorate a gym with trophies and championship rings. We say a person in the military, like a general, is decorated when he or she is given medals for bravery or other accomplishments.
Vocabulary lists containing decorate
Easter Vocabulary
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Lesson 3
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"Making Faces"
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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:
All that’s missing is a Luther Vandross song to decorate the mood with romance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Lauensteins, who spent years scouring architectural salvage sites for items including wrought iron, hardware, lighting and doors to decorate their home, largely stewarded the transformation, with occasional guidance from interior designers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It was probably commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux -- William's half-brother -- in 1077 to decorate the new cathedral in his hometown, Bayeux, according to the tapestry's home museum.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Paint, layer and decorate it to your heart’s desire.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
“Well,” I say, feeling a little warm all of a sudden, “most houses have art on the walls, so I figured I’d decorate the room and drew a picture of my dad in his uniform.”
From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Rather, she takes a plain white bag and decorates it to the max — an “Easter basket of sorts,” as she describes the final product.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
He often takes to the field with painted nails, which he decorates to bond with four-year-old daughter Leila.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
Notwithstanding some clunky moments, Mr. Ansari not only engineers up-to-the-minute twists on the musty Hollywood angel movie, but decorates his story with clever dialogue and wicked observations about street-level existence in the City of Angels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
But the epiphanic ding! hits her as she’s smoothing a Band-Aid onto her forehead wound, and considers the superhero that decorates it: the Incredible Hulk.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2024
A shimmering lake decorates the center of the property, fringed with more greenery.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Nike gifted her with a custom shoe, decorated with a graphic of the yellow Philippines sun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
His Optimus Prime voice was inspired by his older brother, a decorated US Marine and Vietnam War veteran, who suggested he should play the character as "a real hero, don't be a Hollywood hero".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
A few days later, rifling through my wallet, I passed a small red-and-gold card decorated with lucky cats and a rising sun.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Delevingne sisters decorated the 1955-midcentury property together before handing the keys over to Usher.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
A wide open space in the middle was ringed with shops, all of which were currently decorated with flower garlands for Semik.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Krispy Kreme now does 15 to 20 special runs of doughnuts a year, plus a collection for each season, with staff decorating them by hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The painting and decorating business owner said he "didn't think there were people like that in the world today".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
The pregnancy had been far enough along to start getting their 4-year-old daughter excited about decorating a nursery, family-of-four camping trips and what it would mean to become a big sister.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Department of Veterans Affairs External link, the holiday was established to honor fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Grandma’s up front with her group from the decorating committee.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
