decorate

verb dec·o·rate \ ˈde-kə-ˌrāt \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

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Examples: decorate in a Sentence

Definition of decorate

decorated; decorating

transitive verb

1 : to add honor to

decorated commerce with the splendid virtues of honor and loyalty
—Geoffrey Household

2 : to furnish with something ornamental

decorate a room with artwork

decorating the Christmas tree

3 : to award a mark of honor to

a soldier decorated for valor

highly decorated war veterans

intransitive verb

: to furnish something with ornamentation

decorating for the party

See decorate defined for English-language learners

See decorate defined for kids

Examples of decorate in a Sentence

I always enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.
I decorated my apartment in dark colors.

Recent Examples of decorate from the Web

The village cafe is decorated with images of the Eiffel Tower and is preparing croissants for the game, plus a Russian menu for any French guests who might happen to drop by.

— yaroslav gunin, The Seattle Times, "Paris, Russia, to turn French for World Cup semifinals," 10 July 2018
The village cafe is decorated with images of the Eiffel Tower and is preparing croissants for the game, plus a Russian menu for any French guests who might happen to drop by.

— Washington Post, "Paris, Russia, to turn French for World Cup semifinals," 10 July 2018
David Tepper walked into a suite in Bank of America Stadium that was decorated with all the black-and-blue trappings of enormous circumstance.

— jourdan rodrigue, charlotteobserver, "New Panthers stadium? Practice facility? David Tepper makes it clear change is coming," 10 July 2018
Party guests gathered in a shady area of the club where the long tables were decorated with red-and-white checkered tablecloths adorned with sunflower and daisy flower arrangements held in mason jars — just perfect for a Western-style barbecue.

— jane napier neely, latimes.com, "The Valley Line: Club wrangles members into the Saddle & Sirloin Club for annual summer party," 9 July 2018
There appears to be a braid or twist down the center of her head, and it's decorated with a row of silver rings.

— marci robin, Allure, "Pete Davidson Accompanied Ariana Grande to Sephora, So Yes, Their Love Is Real," 1 July 2018
Always tending to his youngest child inside a nursing home that’s decorated with birthday balloons, sitting next to the bed where his son lies, mostly still, mostly unaware.

— helen ubiñas, Philly.com, "Father of man Tased by police stands endless bedside vigil | Helen Ubiñas," 29 June 2018
Curtains hid their sleepover quarters, which was decorated with orange balloon archways.

— emily bloch, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Miami Dolphins and Ashley HomeStore surprise local children with new beds," 28 June 2018
The Lebanese restaurant nestled on Park Road in West Hartford is decorated with little more than the essential tables and chairs, and its traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean meals are also free of frills.

— nyssa kruse, courant.com, "Zaytoon's Bistro Serves Up Fresh, Authentic Lebanese Dishes," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of decorate

Latin decoratus, past participle of decorare, from decor-, decus ornament, honor — more at decent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

decorate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of decorate

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential. adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.