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
Hardin, 56, dressed up in a makeshift outfit to look like a prison guard and walked out of a gate over a week ago, court records show.
—
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 4 June 2025
What’s cool, too, is that everybody gets dressed up for dinner and tea.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 June 2025
Plus, the flowy silhouette can be dressed up with a pair of elevated sandals or down with comfortable sneakers.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
One picture featured Sam and Wesley dressed up as Game of Thrones characters for Halloween.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 4 June 2025
What’s cool, too, is that everybody gets dressed up for dinner and tea.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 June 2025
Plus, the flowy silhouette can be dressed up with a pair of elevated sandals or down with comfortable sneakers.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
One picture featured Sam and Wesley dressed up as Game of Thrones characters for Halloween.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up
Verb
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He is dressed in a blue suit with one of his signature red ties, and an American flag is pinned to his left lapel.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
3 June 2025
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To dress in whatever constitutes your best, and displays your sense of self, honors the body in a way that the world often doesn’t.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Across the dial, opinions differed, but the tone was the same: vitriol disguised as debate.—
Sabrina L. Schaeffer,
National Review,
7 June 2025
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Pham and an associate disguised the funds’ source by writing checks to a Westminster air conditioning company that then issued checks to Pham, his associate and one of Do’s daughters.—
Michael Slaten,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
Verb
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The Crying Tiger Seared Tuna features avocado salad and pickled gooseberries, while the Walnut Shrimp balances candied walnuts and walnut aioli with radish.—
Kaila Yu,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Then, try one of our Test Kitchen’s favorite ideas for cooking, baking, and making drinks with orange peels: Make candied orange peel strips to garnish desserts.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Excitement reverberated throughout the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park as city officials unveiled the host city plaque to a crowd of kids clad in cleats and jerseys who were eager to take part in a youth soccer clinic led by former San Jose Earthquakes player Shea Salinas.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
12 June 2025
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In the footsteps of those dancing orphans roamed my students, burnished by tanning beds and clad in tiny shorts.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 June 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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According to one narrative, women masked their faces when the Portuguese, and later the British, occupied the island, to try to prevent harassment—or worse.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
7 June 2025
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Behind the scenes, though, many are masking executive dysfunction, working long hours to compensate for distractibility and feeling constant internal overwhelm.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
6 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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Still, these bras were comfortable, durable, and camouflaged well underneath clothes.—
Michelle Rostamian,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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The short video shows a man and woman gliding across calm water on a paddleboard when an alligator, camouflaged along the bank, suddenly slips into the water just feet away.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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