decorate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
verb
-
(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
Other Word Forms
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
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!
Lesson 3
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!
"Making Faces"
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.
One parent told me how teachers in one Beijing kindergarten banned parents from bringing Christmas-related items to decorate classrooms for the new year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Even then, what she describes as the "drumbeat" of her compulsive behaviour didn't stop - she couldn't resist spending tens of thousands of pounds on an interior designer to decorate her new home.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
In 2021, more than a year after I had stopped seeing clients in person in rented offices due to the pandemic, I had the opportunity to furnish and decorate my own home office.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Researchers believe it may have been used to decorate bodies, possibly serving as a way to express identity or distinguish between groups.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
To decorate the house she had made three flowers of bird feathers and stuck them in the top of the table.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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.
