1
as in to dress
to put on one's best or formal clothes
we always like to dress up when going to parties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to disguise
to change the dress or looks of so as to conceal true identity
the war was a fiasco that the administration tried to dress up as a triumph
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in to clothe
to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes
the girls were dressed up in skirts or dresses, but the boys were wearing jeans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dress up
Simply put, low-quality spatial data used to inform high-risk applications is technological negligence dressed up as innovation—a recipe for failure that can deliver a large menu of potential disasters.
—
Alexandre De Vigan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Before the too-little-too-late nod to movies — before everything, in fact — the start of the show was heralded by someone from Actors Equity dressed up like one of those demonic nuns from the Dune movies.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
This heirloom-worthy sterling silver pair is simple, understated, and elegant for dressing up a suit or doing the most at the office.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
Attendees can dress up for the camping festival while listening to jam bands, electronic music, funk and more.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Alexandre De Vigan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Before the too-little-too-late nod to movies — before everything, in fact — the start of the show was heralded by someone from Actors Equity dressed up like one of those demonic nuns from the Dune movies.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
This heirloom-worthy sterling silver pair is simple, understated, and elegant for dressing up a suit or doing the most at the office.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
Attendees can dress up for the camping festival while listening to jam bands, electronic music, funk and more.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up
Verb
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Kardashian shared details from her graduation party, like her youngest son Psalm West dressed as a lawyer with a briefcase and lunch placemats depicting her flashcards from studying.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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That’s Damon Brown dressed as Professor X, and those Ghostbusters are Jason Paul, Brandon Sims, Charles Johnson and Mathew Woods, members of the Central Arkansas Ghostbusters Facebook group.—
Sean Clancy,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2025
Verb
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It can usually be disguised as fairness or reciprocity and may not seem harmful at first.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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In the film, Pike’s Miranda Frost, a Harvard grad and Olympic fencer, disguises herself as a fellow member of MI6, only to later be revealed as a double agent.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
13 May 2025
Verb
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The nose features brown sugar, chocolate, candied citrus zest, and a pervasive cold smoke.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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One of the plastic Padres helmet cups serves as the cup for a bed of vanilla wafer cookies, topped with banana pudding, glazed banana slices and candied nuts.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Audience members, some clad in MAGA caps, were largely supportive of Trump.—
Emma Whitford,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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The exchange doesn’t quite go as planned, and the kidnapper and his crew are way more organized and forward-planning than the detectives anticipated, repeatedly throwing them off the trail with decoys and swaps between motorcyclists all clad in the same head-to-toe black.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Wearing a look inspired by Barbie herself, Margot Robbie dolls up at this year's Gotham Awards on Nov. 27 in N.Y.C. 43 of 80 Night to Remember Bradley Cooper waves to onlookers outside of the 2023 Gotham Awards in New York City on Nov. 27.—
Zoey Lyttle,
Peoplemag,
30 Nov. 2023
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To further doll up your kitchen, Hilton’s main cutlery set features eight luxuriously golden knives with soft pink handles and gold accents.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2023
Verb
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For decades, Combs masked himself as a wealthy music mogul who liked to throw lavish parties and surround himself with women.—
Bridgette Carr,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2025
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The electrifying offense has masked injuries to their starting pitchers, but the bullpen has been a serious issue early in the season.—
Hunter Mulholland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Whether your patio could use sprucing or your living room needs reinvigorating, doing home makeovers on a budget is tough.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
22 May 2025
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Today’s Amazon deals are all about sprucing things up: your desktop setup, your tablet experience, and your audio at home or the beach.—
Shubham Yewale,
PCMAG,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, contrary to the impression given by the headlines, ESG is still in the game, albeit more camouflaged than in the past, quite often, as predicted some years back by Aswath Damodaran, ...—
Andrew Stuttaford,
National Review,
20 May 2025
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The benefit of hindsight, however, camouflages the prevailing circumstances when Enciso was loaned out.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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