Synonyms

dress-up

American

[dres-uhp] / ˈdrɛsˌʌp /

adjective

being an occasion, situation, etc., for which one must be somewhat formally well-dressed.

the first dress-up dance of the season.

noun

Informal. Usually dress-ups.
1. a person's best clothes.
  
  Wear your dress-ups for the reception.
2. accessories or other added features.
  
  a car with custom dress-ups.

dress up British

verb

to attire (oneself or another) in one's best clothes
to put fancy dress, disguise, etc, on (oneself or another), as in children's games

let's dress up as ghosts!
(tr) to improve the appearance or impression of

it's no good trying to dress up the facts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dress up Idioms

Wear formal or elaborate clothes, as in I love to dress up for a party . [Late 1600s] For the antonym, see dress down , def. 2.
Put on a costume of some kind, as in The children love dressing up as witches and goblins . [Late 1800s]
Adorn or disguise something in order to make it more interesting or appealing. For example, She has a way of dressing up her account with fanciful details . [Late 1600s]

Etymology

Origin of dress-up

First recorded in 1665–75; noun, adj. use of verb phrase dress up

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.

I imagine the A.I. bot like a child playing dress-up, donning an oversized blazer and glasses for a game of “businessman.”

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

And while the sing-along and dress-up aspects of “The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert” are life-affirming and family-friendly despite an inherent darkness, it’s often the shadows where Elfman likes to dwell.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

Indeed, Y2K dress-up days are popping up in workplaces and on college campuses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

The resilience of these “based on a true story” series remains intact because so many of these fraudsters resemble the “Goop” founder, and got away with playing dress-up as part of the 1%.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2025

On Friday Brave Orchid put on her dress-up clothes, which she wore only a few times during the year.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023