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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of dress up
Fans dressed up in their favorite Swift outfits to walk through rooms showcasing the singer's lyrics and art videos.
—
Bryan West, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
In the past, he’s seen chili chefs dress up in costumes, and once someone presented their chili in a — clean — toilet bowl.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 June 2025
Unlike the other contestants, she’s not dressed up in a tuxedo or sitting at a table to eat expensive-looking food — she’s being bottle-fed in her crib.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Oprah Winfrey was dressed up in all-white on Thursday, while arriving in Venice for the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Bryan West, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
In the past, he’s seen chili chefs dress up in costumes, and once someone presented their chili in a — clean — toilet bowl.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 June 2025
Unlike the other contestants, she’s not dressed up in a tuxedo or sitting at a table to eat expensive-looking food — she’s being bottle-fed in her crib.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Oprah Winfrey was dressed up in all-white on Thursday, while arriving in Venice for the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up
Verb
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Sleek hamachi yellowtail came with Serrano peppers and wonderful crispy potatoes, while lustrous king salmon was dressed with ponzu and a wasabi salsa that was delightfully mild so as to not clash with the delicacy of the fish.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Pack them for travel days or dress them up with an oversized shirt and sneakers to explore a new city.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Fossil fuel interests disguise their obstruction as free-market pragmatism.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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But dark secrets and hormones become issues, thanks to their latest enemy: demons disguised as a hunky boy band.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Sweeter styles feature flavors of ripe apricot, honey, candied citrus peel, and exotic spices, balanced by that signature acid snap.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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San Diego Padres Banana Bread Pudding Topped with glazed banana slices, candied nuts and wafer cookies, this treat is already a fan favorite.—
Andrea Lavinthal,
People.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Much of the discussion has fixated on an incident that occurred last week in downtown Los Angeles in which a woman named Andrea Guadalupe Velez was detained by agents clad in bulletproof vests with gaiters over their faces.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
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Evans stood next to a small boat, clad in waders and helpless to stop the rising waters.—
Keisha Rowe,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 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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The free-living, hard-drinking Brett uses wit and jollity to mask her inner desperation.—
Tony Perrottet,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 June 2025
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And while users in plenty of places around the world cannot access the free internet without these location and identity masking tools — that’s not the case anywhere in the U.S.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
28 June 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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So ranked-choice voting was implemented as a stop-loss remedy — a move to camouflage the practices of an industry devoted to meretricious, often nihilistic entertainments.—
Armond White,
National Review,
27 June 2025
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That shaft was later concealed and camouflaged, more recent imagery also shows.—
Vasco Cotovio,
CNN Money,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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