decorate

verb

dec·​o·​rate ˈde-kə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decorate (audio)
decorated; decorating

transitive verb

1
: to add honor to
decorated commerce with the splendid virtues of honor and loyaltyGeoffrey 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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 10-screen theater at the Village at San Antonio Center is decorated with robot toys, a wall of movie posters featuring robots and even has Dumbots, an upstairs lounge with a name inspired by some of the less-intelligent bots in movie history. Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 June 2025 The nymphs look like large black ticks decorated with white spots. Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 18 June 2025 Local businesses and local kids alike decorate cars, bikes, and even golf carts, giving the parade a true everybody-knows-everybody vibe. Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 June 2025 For instance, some people strive to buy second homes and then spend time decorating and furnishing these homes. Jann E. Freed, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for decorate

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decorate was in 1530

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Decorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decorate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

decorate

verb
dec·​o·​rate ˈdek-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce decorate (audio)
decorated; decorating
1
: to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
decorate a room
2
: to award a decoration of honor to
decorate a soldier for bravery

More from Merriam-Webster on decorate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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