decorate

verb dec·o·rate \ ˈde-kə-ˌrāt \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 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

On holidays, employees decorate their offices and cubicles and participate in fun activities.

— azcentral, "Top Companies to Work for in Arizona-Small Companies," 7 June 2018
Some of the students decorated the slates of their caps with homages to their lost friends.

— dianne gallagher, CNN, "A solemn graduation for Marjory Stoneman Douglas seniors," 3 June 2018
The tall-windowed, sparsely decorated space, had a sterile feel, especially when empty.

— michael russell, OregonLive.com, "Two years after closing, one of Portland's most exciting restaurants will return," 11 May 2018
Staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital East had decorated the halls with graduation balloons and signs.

— alexandria hein, Fox News, "Dying mom gets final wish to see son graduate high school," 10 May 2018
Last year, staff members decorated a small district bus to take students to and from prom.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "Special education students attend prom with help of donated dresses, teacher volunteers," 26 Apr. 2018
Dirt caked her fingernails, tattoos decorated her arms, and a smile pulled at the corner of her lips.

— silvia foster-frau, San Antonio Express-News, "In hurricane’s aftermath, Puerto Rico moves from survival to revival," 20 Apr. 2018
Pentagrams decorate homes in which Catholic saints are revered, and church-goers place faith in local sorcerers for problems no priest or doctor can solve.

— megan spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "In Catemaco, Mexico's 'Land of the Sorcerers'," 29 Mar. 2018
Bar Cargo The newest spot in Chicago from the Stefanis, Bar Cargo decorated its beer garden for the holidays, offering some festive cheer with hot cocktails, Christmas trees, fire pits and s’mores.

— adam lukach, RedEye Chicago, "9 winter rooftops and patios in Chicago open for cold-weather drinking and dining," 16 Feb. 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.