dolling up

verb

present participle of doll up
1
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming if you were to doll up those Shaker-style rooms, you'd ruin their simple elegance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dressing
to put on one's best or formal clothes got all dolled up for the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolling up
  1. decorating
  2. dressing
  3. adorning
  4. dressing up
  5. doing up
Verb
  • The Mississippi mom of three started the business after decorating her own daughter’s dorm room at Mississippi State in 2020 and posting photos on Facebook.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • After moving out, everything went into storage, but Nunez’s decorating ambitions didn’t end with freshman year.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of decorating
Verb
  • And Beckham surged onto the 53-man roster with late camp production, while Slayton seemed to become an afterthought in quarterback progressions and targets and in usage, dressing and playing the first half of that final exhibition.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Top dressing your lawn improves soil health, helping your grass grow stronger, greener, and more resilient over time.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of dressing
Verb
  • In the photo, the father-son duo was all smiles, adorning matching jiu-jitsu outfits.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Black shirt, black shorts, thin sheen of sweat adorning his expressive forehead.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of adorning
Verb
  • In past episodes, this has meant dressing up as Sigmund Freud in Vienna, singing with The Irish Tenors in Dublin, and facing off with a python in Bangkok.
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Halloween 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for coordinated costumes, with families getting creative about dressing up together.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of dressing up
Verb
  • What in the world are those overgrown basketballs doing up there?
    — Rui Bo, The Conversation, 18 May 2026
  • Wednesday’s practice started with some of the players doing up-downs after forgetting equipment.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of doing up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

dollies
dolling up
dollish
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Cite this Entry

“Dolling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolling%20up. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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