decorate

verb

dec·o·rate | \ ˈde-kə-ˌrāt

decorated; decorating

Definition of decorate

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about decorate

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for 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. a diamond necklace adorned her neck decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design. decorate a birthday cake ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original a white house ornamented with green shutters , embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament. embellish a page with floral borders beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness. will beautify the grounds with flower beds deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness. a house all decked out for Christmas garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food. an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of decorate in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

There are also so many things to do, including decorating Easter eggs with the kids, crafting cute DIYs, preparing an impressive holiday feast... the list goes on and on! — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Is Walmart Open on Easter? Here Are the Superstore's Holiday Hours," 11 Mar. 2019 Locals tend to linger inside the cozy yellow house, decorated like a mountain cabin, with wooden tables and soft lighting. — Carol Pucci, The Seattle Times, "For a visit without the crowds, head to Mount Rainier in winter," 20 Feb. 2019 Case in point: The Daily Mail reports that Meghan has made time to help her good friend, Amal Clooney, decorate her home in England. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Helping Amal Clooney Decorate Her England Home," 9 Sep. 2018 Right: In Saint Lauren’s bedroom, the walls, ceiling, and shutters are hand-decorated in red, black and gold. — Marian Mcevoy, ELLE Decor, "An Intimate Look Inside Yves Saint Laurent’s Private Marrakech Home," 2 Aug. 2018 The pet-friendly property has 41 guest rooms decorated in a soothing neutral palette, most of them with vineyard views. — New York Times, "36 Hours in Napa Valley," 21 June 2018 The hotel this year is decorating each one with its own theme, including in the style of a 1980s ski lodge. — Alina Dizik, WSJ, "The Hottest Nightspots This Winter Are Very Cold," 11 Feb. 2019 Once, for example, Helen's nanny had to go to a doctor's appointment, so Erin decorated that day with her baby on her hip. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "'Home Town' Stars Erin and Ben Napier Reveal Why They Rarely Show Their Baby on TV," 28 Jan. 2019 String lights also decorated the house, as did draping, and blankets were available to keep guests warm. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Secrets from Behind-the-Scenes at Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's Wedding," 29 Dec. 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.