spruce-up

[ sproos-uhp ]

noun

1. an act of cleaning up, refurbishing, renovating, or the like.

spruce up

verb

1. adverb to make (oneself, a person, or thing) smart and neat

Word History and Origins

Origin of spruce-up¹

Noun use of verb phrase spruce up

Idioms and Phrases

Make neat and trim, as in She spruced up the chairs with new cushions . This idiom originated in the late 1500s as simply spruce but had acquired up by 1676.

Example Sentences

A decade ago, they decided for a holiday botox spruce-up mit smooth-out.

From The Daily Beast

The lake appeared to be inclosed on three sides by amphitheatric mountains, black with spruce up to the gray walls of rock.

From Project Gutenberg

Well, you want ter kind of spruce up a bit before you do that, for you don't look very fine now, Carrots.

From Project Gutenberg

The canvas men would hurry to the “lot” to put up the tents while we remained behind to spruce up for the parade.

From Project Gutenberg

The canvas men would hurry to the "lot" to put up the tents while we remained behind to spruce up for the parade.

From Project Gutenberg

I was going to tell you about the way Fessor laughed when I tried to spruce up and preen my feathers.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dress up
• fix up
• primp
• tidy