spruce-up

American

[sproos-uhp] / ˈsprusˌʌp /

noun

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

spruce up British

verb

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

"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

spruce up Idioms

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.

Etymology

Origin of spruce-up

Noun use of verb phrase spruce 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.

Kirsten Conner, founder of Kirsten Conner Interior Design, agrees that seasonal decorating’s benefits go beyond an external spruce-up.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2023

The central London building, which had suffered nine direct hits during World War Two, was in need of a spruce-up.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2015

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; until 7 p.m. on Saturdays; open until 8 p.m. the first Friday of every month; ; closed this Friday for the annual spruce-up.

From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2014

When he’s going under the knife for a spruce-up face-lift, Lee insists that Scott get some face work done as well—in order to look more like the young Liberace.

From Slate • May 24, 2013

Fresh from a multimillion-dollar spruce-up by Hirsch Bedner this past July, the Four Seasons has rightly reclaimed its crown as the best hotel in the buzzy Orchard Road shopping district.

From Time Magazine Archive

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