dress-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈdres-ˌəp 

plural dress-ups

1

: a time or occasion for which fancy or formal clothing is worn

Miller used to favor high-necked lace blouses for dress-up and fishing hats for play.

—Curry Kirkpatrick

Marla feels comfiest in jeans and sweats but likes soft beiges for dress-up.

—People Weekly

Also like their parents, children want a wardrobe that is suitable for a variety of activities: play, school and dress-up.

—Andrea Skinner

2

: a game or activity (as for children) that involves dressing up in special clothing or costumes

Most young children like to play dress-up, parading around the house in their dad's wing tips or smearing their mom's lipstick all over their face.

—Christine Gorman

Nina was petite but too muscular to wear her mother's cast-off Chanel. She was like a girl playing dress-up.

—Tom Jenks

I drew pictures with her and played dress-up with our mother's party gowns.

—Lorene Cary

So get in the spirit with these costume parties, haunted tours, pet dress-ups, … and haunted houses.

—Cincinnati.com

dress up

2 of 2

verb

dressed up; dressing up; dresses 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

Synonyms

Verb

• dress
• doll up

Examples of dress-up in a Sentence

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Halloween allows restaurants to play dress-up with the menus, offering people a chance to fortify themselves before trick or treating and partying. —Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025

Hundreds of fans left comments defending North for being a normal 12-year-old girl, just having fun and playing dress-up. —Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

Verb

Wild Fable Polo Collar Pullover Sweatshirt This Wild Fable sweatshirt can be worn casually or dressed up thanks to its polo collar and French terry material. —Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

The often casual star decided to dress up a bit and we're immediately obsessed. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from the phrasal verb dress up

First Known Use

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Rhymes for dress-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

dress up

verb

1

: to put on one's best or formal clothes

2

: to put on strange or fancy clothes

dress up for Halloween