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
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]
First recorded in 1665–75; noun, adj. use of verb phrase dress up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dress up your arrangement by filling the vase with cranberries, small ornaments or other colorful adornments.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2023
Dress up in your fanciest clothing — or don't, because Clover Hill is "come as you are"
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2023
Dress up in your best funeral attire, get your friends to join, tag us in pics & use the hashtags below!
From The Verge • Jul. 7, 2022
Dress up as your favorite movie character to run through the streets of Culver City.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2022
As I was looking at it, he went on: “If you want me to go with you, come by the office. Dress up for the interview, okay?”
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
