decoration
Americannoun
-
something used for decorating; adornment; embellishment.
The gymnasium was adorned with posters and crepe-paper decorations for the dance.
-
the act of decorating.
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a badge, medal, etc., conferred and worn as a mark of honor.
a decoration for bravery.
noun
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an addition that renders something more attractive or ornate; adornment
-
the act, process, or art of decorating
-
a medal, badge, etc, conferred as a mark of honour
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of decoration
First recorded in 1575–85; from Late Latin decorātiōn- (stem of decorātiō ) “an ornament”; see decorate, -ion
Explanation
A decoration is anything used to make something more attractive or festive. If you’re having a Valentine’s Day party, drape your house in red and pink decorations. Decoration is also a type of honor, like a soldier's medal or stripe. To decorate is to spiff something up, making it more colorful and attractive, like hanging streamers in a room or ornaments on a tree. Decorations are things used in this way. Many decorations are specific to holidays, like green decorations for St. Patrick's Day. Also, decorations are the honors given to people who have won or achieved something. A war hero's Purple Heart medal is a decoration. You can say that someone who has many of these honors is decorated.
Vocabulary lists containing decoration
Memorial Day Words
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"Familiar Places"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 12–February 18, 2022
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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:
Bangkok's Metropolitan Administration says it is reviewing regulations governing the materials allowed in the construction and decoration of entertainment venues and restaurants alike.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
She puts a lot of effort into home decoration and entertaining guests as she tries to keep Joe’s churlishness at bay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
It was a "major achievement of national cultural policy," the official said, to get the "art of Akhal-Teke horse breeding and traditions of horses' decoration" added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
“It’s a decoration, because your system has to now fight the sugar while it’s trying to digest it.”
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
Hidden away as they are in the bowels of the earth, to protect them from the casual intruder, they must have been considered far more serious than decoration.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Earlier on Monday, Bangkok governor Chatchart Sittipunt said the flammable interior decorations on the bar's ceiling may have facilitated the blaze's rapid spread.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Since taking office, Trump has also paved over the Rose Garden lawn at the White House and plastered the Oval Office with gold decorations.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
While decorations still appear in many shopping malls, from around 2022, many nursery and elementary schools started to declare they would no longer celebrate Christmas or other Western holidays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
The parties are so frequent that parents are even sharing decorations to reduce costs, she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
One night in November of his third-grade year, after it got cold but before his mom put up the holiday decorations, Katherine came over.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
