dress up

verb

dressed up; dressing up; dresses up

Definition of dress up

transitive verb

1 : to make more attractive, glamorous, or fancy dress up a plain dessert with a rich chocolate sauce

2a : 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

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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

Recent Examples on the Web

Even with her busy schedule, Selena had plenty of time to get dressed up and be a bridesmaid at her best friend's wedding. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "6 Ways Selena Gomez Has Been Living it Up Since Justin Bieber Married Hailey Baldwin," 29 Mar. 2019 In addition to traditional July 4th decor, children are invited to dress up as their favorite characters and decorate themselves, their bicycles, wagons and pets. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Fireworks, Kiddie Parade return to Park Ridge for July 4th holiday," 26 June 2018 Everyone is also welcome to dress up and take part in the Halloween costume contest. — Alison Stanton, azcentral, "47 Halloween events around Phoenix scare up fun for all ages," 31 Oct. 2017 It’s sometimes fear of failure dressed up in slippers and pajamas. — Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, "What I Learned From Having an On-Call Astrologer for a Week," 1 Apr. 2019 Meanwhile, her hubby dressed up in a black suit and red tie. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Princess Eugenie Puts Her Spin on Kate Middleton's Royal Headband Trend," 22 Mar. 2019 Leonore dressed up as a mermaid, with some festive face-paint and scale-like skirt, while Nicolas went as Batman. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Princess Leonore Just Turned 5, and the Swedish Royal Family Celebrated by Sharing a Sweet New Photo," 21 Feb. 2019 The criticism of Gucci’s sweater came just as blackface has become a topic of outrage in the U.S. Virginia’s governor and attorney general acknowledged dressing up in blackface in the 1980s, leading to calls for their resignations. — Matthew Dalton, WSJ, "Gucci Owner Admits to a Blind Spot on Blackface," 12 Feb. 2019 For a festive food gift, dress up your loaf with a strip of parchment paper, tinsel, and vintage ornaments. — Taylor Murray, Country Living, "Gingerbread Pear Loaf," 7 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dress up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for dress up

Last Updated

24 May 2019

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Time Traveler for dress up

The first known use of dress up was circa 1513

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