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:
While the area may not have been his favorite, the Brolins certainly made the home their own, tapping celebrated interior design studio, Pierce and Ward, to decorate it with a traditional, baronial aesthetic.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Chandeliers, poetry and flower arches decorate a government marriage registry, and officials hope baby carriages will follow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Signs in English, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese decorate the classroom, reflecting the most common languages students speak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
This time round each competing team was given its own baton to decorate rather than transporting one across the Commonwealth.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The water’s very clear, and schools of bright-hued fish and strange sea flowers decorate the sand floor.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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
He decorates his apartment, pinning some Japanese prints on the walls, and he sets up a tiny studio—a “cubby-hole”—in the same building as his flat.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Trucks bearing the nations' flags began moving in both directions late morning, AFP reporters at the scene said, some of the North Korean vehicles decorated with flowers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“The data is there,” said Pan, speaking before a banner decorated with purple butterflies and the proclamation, “Black Mothers Matter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Archaeologists later excavated a sword still in its scabbard, decorated straps, buckles, rings, ornaments and chariot wheel axle caps.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Each of the three bathrooms is decorated with sleek white furnishings, adding to the relaxing atmosphere of the home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The five Paragon symbols decorated its massive body, twinkling like molten gold.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Also offered: a straw maze, pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, giant rocking horses, slides and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
When I dropped my daughter off at a three-day, two-night sports camp this summer, I was stunned to see other parents—one with a ladder—elaborately decorating the front doors of their campers’ rooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Scotland fans visiting the city for the World Cup have been decorating its statues with bright orange traffic cones, much to the bemusement of locals.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
And, most importantly, it encouraged consumers to get creative with other aspects of baking: shaping, frosting and decorating.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
I frame a shot of a woman in niqab, a face covering, decorating Julies freckled arm with intricate designs of henna.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
