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
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
But dressing up can be a year-round affair, like when moms and dads are looking for party costumes or cultural outfits for their kids.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
This year, Spirit Halloween has options for dressing up like the unlikely besties, with costumes from both their Shiz days and post-graduation lives.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Ha-Ha-Halloween Song If your toddler is still a tad freaked out by all the skeletons and ghosts appearing around their neighborhood in the form of creepy decorations, and the prospect of dressing up just doesn’t sound appealing, CoComelon can help.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 3 Oct. 2025
Don’t think for a minute that dressing up for Halloween is child’s play.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
After the cyberstalking ordeal came to an end and started making national news, the Wilsons poked fun at Kendra's fate by dressing up a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit with a mask of her mugshot over its face, per The Cut.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
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
But dressing up can be a year-round affair, like when moms and dads are looking for party costumes or cultural outfits for their kids.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
This year, Spirit Halloween has options for dressing up like the unlikely besties, with costumes from both their Shiz days and post-graduation lives.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Ha-Ha-Halloween Song If your toddler is still a tad freaked out by all the skeletons and ghosts appearing around their neighborhood in the form of creepy decorations, and the prospect of dressing up just doesn’t sound appealing, CoComelon can help.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 3 Oct. 2025
Don’t think for a minute that dressing up for Halloween is child’s play.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
After the cyberstalking ordeal came to an end and started making national news, the Wilsons poked fun at Kendra's fate by dressing up a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit with a mask of her mugshot over its face, per The Cut.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressing up
Verb
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Dearfoams Greta Shearling Clog Slipper Simplify fall dressing with this pair of slip-on clogs, which have memory foam soles for all-day comfort.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
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For Mikaela Worley, whose fiancé, Jeremy Reaves, is a safety for the Washington Commanders, that means everything from dressing the jersey down, with cowboy boots and a denim mini, or going full glam with knee-high boots and some sparkly accessories.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to investigators, the occupants were seeking to enter the country to find work and had set sail from Weihai, Shandong Province, disguising themselves as anglers with fishing rods.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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On disguising combination moves behind an initial setup.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fangio entered the 2025 season masking his talent gap at CB2 by having Mitchell on the opponents’ top receivers.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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In Discretion, which has an eight-episode order, Lenny (Fanning), a summer associate at a prestigious Dallas law firm, uncovers a web of NDAs masking a dark truth.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cracker Barrel is sweetening the deal for loyalty members, who will be able to take part in the $5 deal starting a full day early on September 25.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
23 Sep. 2025
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The news led many to speculate that the move was a political one aimed at sweetening a then-pending merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance — a deal that the companies needed the FCC to approve.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In their nine years working together, the decorators have developed their own sleight of hand, cleverly camouflaging pragmatic choices as strictly aesthetic ones.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
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Defense camouflaging more blemishes than Revlon.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The researchers plan to address the light sensitivity issue by modifying how the vitamin interacts with the electrolyte and by improving the engineering of the flow cell itself.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Aaron Bergman, Larkins’ attorney, said Larkins, who is now 18, cares about improving access for other children in school.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What begins as a crime caper morphs into an unexpected rom-com as Jeff spends more time with Leigh’s family and even joins her local church, all while concealing his real identity and living behind a display of bicycles at Leigh’s workplace.—
Keaton Bell,
Vogue,
11 Oct. 2025
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Snelling is currently charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But beyond 60 mg/L, uptake surged sharply, suggesting multilayer adsorption, where molecules stack on top of each other, enhancing the total adsorption.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
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Competitive runners emphasized the value of performance-enhancing features—such as carbon plates—but stressed that these should not come at the expense of comfort.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dressing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing%20up. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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