as in to decorate
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
gone are the days when the high school prom was held in the gym, which had been gussied up for the occasion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gussy up
Alongside letting fans treat Majima like a Ken doll by fashioning his outfits, hairstyles, makeup, and jewelry, the game allows players to customize and gussy up his sea vessel.
—
Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
This luxe velvet Jennifer Behr Velvet Bow Barrette is classic enough to pair with jeans and a white tee, but can easily gussy up a nap dress with a clip of its barrette (no behind-the-head, blind-tying necessary).
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 27 Sep. 2024
Our readers offered their hacks to gussy up a frozen pizza and tips to make it from scratch.
—Tejal Rao, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Took several payments of $350,000—to gussy up China’s image in the West.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 14 July 2023
For a condiment upgrade, gussy up a bottle of ketchup with tahini.
—Joe Sevier, Bon Appétit, 14 June 2023
Chip and Joanna Gaines gussy up a boxed cake mix with yogurt, pudding mix and chocolate chips to make a showstopping sweet topped off with a homemade chocolate glaze.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2023
But the teen-witch narrative that the film adopts is hard to gussy up, especially since after Hocus Pocus there was no shortage of such stories, from Halloweentown to Sabrina (and its reboot).
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2022
Let the kids help, for a personalized touch. Kid Friendly Things To Do Grab some spray paint and gussy up some mini emergency cones for a festive fall version of horseshoes.
—Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
This luxe velvet Jennifer Behr Velvet Bow Barrette is classic enough to pair with jeans and a white tee, but can easily gussy up a nap dress with a clip of its barrette (no behind-the-head, blind-tying necessary).
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 27 Sep. 2024
Our readers offered their hacks to gussy up a frozen pizza and tips to make it from scratch.
—Tejal Rao, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Took several payments of $350,000—to gussy up China’s image in the West.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 14 July 2023
For a condiment upgrade, gussy up a bottle of ketchup with tahini.
—Joe Sevier, Bon Appétit, 14 June 2023
Chip and Joanna Gaines gussy up a boxed cake mix with yogurt, pudding mix and chocolate chips to make a showstopping sweet topped off with a homemade chocolate glaze.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2023
But the teen-witch narrative that the film adopts is hard to gussy up, especially since after Hocus Pocus there was no shortage of such stories, from Halloweentown to Sabrina (and its reboot).
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2022
Let the kids help, for a personalized touch. Kid Friendly Things To Do Grab some spray paint and gussy up some mini emergency cones for a festive fall version of horseshoes.
—Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gussy up
Verb
-
Each of the 31 rooms has been decorated by the Smith family, which has owned the property since the early 1990s.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Sweeney wore the beige suede Maysale pump from Manolo Blahnik, which stands out with a square buckle detail decorating the vamp.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The celebration is necessary, considering HomeGoods conducted a survey that found 63 percent of people (among 1,000 early decorators and 500 non-early decorators) believe adorning your space early invites judgment.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The facade is adorned with the brand’s signature cannage pattern, while inside there is Versailles parquet flooring similar to the Dior flagship at 30 Montaigne, the house’s historic address.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gussy up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gussy%20up. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share