dress-up

[dres-uhp]

adjective

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

   the first dress-up dance of the season.

noun

1. 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

verb

1. to attire (oneself or another) in one's best clothes

2. to put fancy dress, disguise, etc, on (oneself or another), as in children's games

   let's dress up as ghosts!

3. (tr) to improve the appearance or impression of

   it's no good trying to dress up the facts

Word History and Origins

Origin of dress-up¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Mr. Powell, who has previously shown a love for silly disguises in his Hulu show “Chad Powers” and his Netflix movie “Hit Man,” returns to his dress-up closet, but this time there is never any comic payoff.

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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.

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

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Among the titles expected to be available on the digital manga platform are “One Piece,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Daemons of the Shadow Realm,” “My Dress-Up Darling,” “The Summer Hikaru Died,” “Lycoris Recoil,” “Delicious in Dungeon,” “Sasaki and Miyano,” “Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy” and “Maiden of the Dragon: Falling for the Demon’s Lies.”

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He calls the space “the ultimate glam dress-up room” and mentions the whispers he hears of major fashion houses stopping by Palace to gather inspiration.

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Related Words

• attire 
• clothe 
• deck out 
• embellish 
• spruce up