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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressing up
Verb
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Bella Hadid has turned her trip to Aspen into a daily lesson in dressing for spring 2026, and there will be a quiz later.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
3 Jan. 2026
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Queen Mary of Denmark gave royal regal dressing a new level of elegance in combined pieces by designers Jesper Høvring and Lasse Spangenberg for New Year’s Day celebrations at Christian VII’s Palace in Copenhagen on Thursday.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These finishes will add depth while disguising imperfections.—
Marisa Suzanne Martin,
The Spruce,
6 Jan. 2026
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It’s crouched like a tiger about to spring, cleverly disguising itself as on the verge of a recession so its prey—presumably all the economic experts telling us we’re headed to economic hell in a handbasket—will be caught off-guard.—
William W Bedsworth,
Oc Register,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And the foundation appears to be lying to publishers about this—as well as masking the actual contents of its archives.—
Alex Reisner,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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But those who’ve watched the Blackhawks on a nightly basis know Spencer Knight has been masking some familiar defensive deficiencies.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Using natural sweetening agents or experimenting with spices can improve the texture and flavor of your favorite desserts.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
20 Oct. 2025
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After these crops are exposed to a light freeze near the end of the season, the starches within them gradually turn to sugar, sweetening their palatability.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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When asked about this tactic, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that the agency believes its employees are not camouflaging their identities.—
NPR,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Corporate use cases include employee well-being programs aimed at reducing burnout and improving focus.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Lazzarini was in Turkey for talks with officials on improving humanitarian access in Gaza.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Shoplifting by concealing merchandise.—
Isabelle Friedman,
Boston Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
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Yet the nonprofit appears to be concealing this from visitors to its website, where a search function, the only nontechnical tool for seeing what’s in Common Crawl’s archives, returns misleading results for certain domains.—
Alex Reisner,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The administration has quietly directed diplomats to press allies on restricting inflows, enhancing deportation mechanisms, and ending policies perceived as favoring migrants over citizens.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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While achieving a rugged look, the fiber retains the signature softness and high moisture-regulating properties characteristic of TENCEL™ Lyocell, enhancing wearer comfort.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dressing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing%20up. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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