SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

dress up

verb

Definition of dress up

transitive verb

1 :to make more attractive, glamorous, or fancy

dress up a plain dessert with a rich chocolate sauce

2 a :to attire in best or formal clothes

b :to attire in clothes suited to a particular role

3 :to present in the most attractive or impressive light

a fiasco dressed up as a triumph

intransitive verb

:to get dressed up

See dress up defined for kids

Examples of dress up in a Sentence

we always like to dress up when going to parties
the war was a fiasco that the administration tried to dress up as a triumph

First Known Use of dress up

1635

dress up Synonyms

Synonyms

doll up, dress

Antonyms

unmask

Related Words

preen, primp, prink, smarten (up); accessorize; apparel, array, attire, bedeck, bedizen, caparison, clothe, costume, deck, dude (up), garb, garment, invest, rig (out), robe, suit, tog (out or up)

Near Antonyms

display, exhibit, expose, flaunt, parade, show, uncloak, unclothe, uncover, undrape, unveil; bare, betray, disclose, discover, divulge, expose, reveal

Learn More about dress up

See words that rhyme with dress up Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dress up Nglish: Translation of dress up for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dress up for Arabic speakers

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Examples: dress up in a Sentence