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
Not the politicians sprinting toward the nearest camera with legal threats dressed up as principle.
—
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Fans of the Spurs are also celebrating the NBA finals by dressing up their pets, mostly corgis, in the team's merch.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 June 2026
There are plenty of ways to dress up your vintage bathroom, even on a budget—below, four designers share their best tips.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
People dressed up as astronauts on the Nasdaq balcony at closing.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Fans of the Spurs are also celebrating the NBA finals by dressing up their pets, mostly corgis, in the team's merch.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 June 2026
There are plenty of ways to dress up your vintage bathroom, even on a budget—below, four designers share their best tips.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
People dressed up as astronauts on the Nasdaq balcony at closing.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up
Verb
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Toss it in your carry-on for a seamless airport quick change before sightseeing, or dress it up with the nice pants and skirts in your travel wardrobe rotation.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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Dream person to dress, dead or alive?—
Max Berlinger,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Don’t sleep on this two-piece lounge set, which is made with 100% cotton in a gauzy finish, ideal for disguising any wrinkles.—
Paige Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 June 2026
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Hufanga, who faced the Hill-Waddle tandem firsthand while playing for San Francisco back then, noted the duo’s ability to accelerate and decelerate to disguise in-breaking routes as deep routes and vice versa.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Look for notes of toffee, caramel, figs, and candied fruit on the palate.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
10 June 2026
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Feed a crowd at a Norwegian match with this recipe that uses candied orange peels, fresh orange zest and dark chocolate for a little sweetness no matter how the match is going.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Fans clad in Chicago’s black pinstripes and Dodger blue alike rose to their feet.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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In 2024 French and American scientists were able to contain plasma at 50 million degrees Celsius for six minutes by using a fusion device called a tokamak clad in tungsten instead of the traditional graphite tiles.—
Ari Sen,
Scientific American,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Looking to doll up your collarbones instead?—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
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The store had to be closed for several days while volunteers set the dolls up for display, and only 25 shoppers could be allowed in at a time for viewing because of the dolls’ values.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Shell companies registered across Dubai's sprawling free zones have for years masked the origin of Iranian oil and commodities.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
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And then there’s Matthew Rhys, who plays the mayor of Widow’s Bay, desperate to promote his island town’s tourist appeal while masking the rising terror that all the stories told about the island are true.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The 34-mile road winds through several ecosystems from cove hardwood to northern hardwood to pine oak to spruce fir.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
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Best Amazon Outlet Home Sales Memorial Day is the perfect time to spruce things up in and around your home.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 May 2026
Verb
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That attention to detail was present across all of the show’s departments, from sets and costuming to the cameras that captured it all.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
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True to its source material, this latest adaptation of the vampire story delivers on the centuries old legacy of sexiness; costuming for the show playing an integral part in pulling that off.—
Caroline Reilly,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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