1
as in dressing
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 disguising
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
as in sprucing
to make more desirable
dressed up the house with new windows and a paint job before putting it on the market
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in clothing
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 dressing up
Denim tops are extremely versatile for dressing up or down, which is ideal for the Florentine lifestyle, transitioning from morning errands to museum visits to evening aperitivos.
—
Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2026
Keke Palmer also took us back to the early aughts, dressing up as Jessica Alba in Honey.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
There are songs about dressing up in your Halloween costume, celebrating Halloween at school, and decorating the house in Halloween decorations.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 31 Oct. 2025
Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
But what about the amateur adventurer who also enjoys dusting off and dressing up after a long day on the trail?
—AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
Speaking of dressing up, the bag drips with style and will elevate any outfit in your wardrobe.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Many fans suggested the gift was a subtle jab at Nicole, who previously pretty much admitted to dressing up as Teyana Taylor for Halloween following her split from Iman Shumpert.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2025
People saw it not once, not twice, but over and over, frequently dressing up as the characters and hurling things — toast, rice, puns, obscenities — at the screen.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2026
Keke Palmer also took us back to the early aughts, dressing up as Jessica Alba in Honey.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
There are songs about dressing up in your Halloween costume, celebrating Halloween at school, and decorating the house in Halloween decorations.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 31 Oct. 2025
Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
But what about the amateur adventurer who also enjoys dusting off and dressing up after a long day on the trail?
—AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
Speaking of dressing up, the bag drips with style and will elevate any outfit in your wardrobe.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Many fans suggested the gift was a subtle jab at Nicole, who previously pretty much admitted to dressing up as Teyana Taylor for Halloween following her split from Iman Shumpert.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2025
People saw it not once, not twice, but over and over, frequently dressing up as the characters and hurling things — toast, rice, puns, obscenities — at the screen.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressing up
Verb
-
Transfer about a quarter of dressing to a large bowl.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The heritage brand is also dressing actual Olympians competing next month by designing their opening and closing ceremony outfits.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Throw in the fact that his 4-2-5 scheme, which is masterful at disguising pressure and stopping the run, would make for a natural and necessary fit at USC, where those two things weren’t up to snuff last season.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
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Adelman tried to navigate his lack of a center by matching minutes, but Hornets coach Charles Lee countered by disguising his substitutions.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Stroheim’s prime theme is masking and the fear of being unmasked.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2026
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The Swiss dominated the big tournaments of the mid-2000s, which would earn anybody plaudits, but his unique blend of style and grace caused a significant portion of the tennis world to anoint him as the sport’s Jesus, masking his dynamism, physicality, and weaknesses in the process.—
Owen Lewis,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead of sweetening it, the relatives clamped a sugar cube between their incisors and loudly sucked the tea through it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
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Linzer cookies are a sweet surprise of nutty shortbread cookies, jammy preserves, and a sweetening sprinkle of powdered sugar.—
Pam Lolley,
Southern Living,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The tint is sheer and subtle but makes a noticeable difference in evening out skin tone and camouflaging discoloration.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
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The clip also showed soldiers camouflaging vehicles with green netting and raising a flag at an airbase in eastern Belarus, close to the Russian border.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The organization is also tasked with improving coordination between government agencies and other stakeholders.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Meantime road crews have been working nonstop since Sunday and conditions were improving Monday night, but drivers are still being urged to stay off the roads and travel cautiously as snow continues to fall.—
Aaron Parseghian,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Low was fined $106,000 for concealing payments between his tech nonprofit and actor Alec Baldwin.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
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You're required to disclose all assets, income sources and recent financial transactions during the bankruptcy process, and attempting to transfer property to friends or family before filing, concealing income or lying on your bankruptcy petition can have big repercussions.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The mainframe cycle is enhancing infrastructure.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The drones can help save time and money while enhancing situational awareness and providing higher-quality data that can be integrated into digital environments, the press release said.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dressing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing%20up. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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