spruce up

phrasal verb

spruced up; sprucing up; spruces up

: to make (someone or something) look cleaner, neater, or more attractive

We spruced up the room with a fresh coat of paint.

I need to spruce myself up a bit before we go out to dinner.

Did you know?

titivate, spruce up, smarten up, or spiff up?

Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive." Titivate often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire ("titivate the costume with sequins and other accessories"), but it can also be used figuratively (as in "titivating the script for Broadway"). Spruce up is sometimes used for cosmetic changes or renovations that give the appearance of newness ("spruce up the house with new shutters and fresh paint before trying to sell it"). Smarten up and spiff up both mean to improve in appearance often by making more neat or stylish ("the tailor smartened up the suit with minor alterations"; "he needed some time to spiff himself up for the party"). The origins of titivate are uncertain, but it may have been formed from the English words tidy and renovate.

Examples of spruce up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Painted Brick Painting your front door to add a pop of color or updating your home's exterior with fresh paint is typically a great way to spruce up and appeal to buyers. —Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2025

The slump continuing into April suggests that Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s antics and work for US President Donald Trump is costing Tesla sales, in spite of the company sprucing up its lineup. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

In the process of sprucing up your backyard for summer? —Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2025

From outdoor furniture, including conversation sets and recliners, to gardening tools and decor that’ll spruce up your yard, the site’s sale section has it all, with prices starting at just $9. —Mia Huelsbeck, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for spruce up

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