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
-
In 1995, the Château de Wideville, built in 1580, was purchased and French interior designer Henri Samuel was tasked to decorate it.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
With that time, his family celebrated Jacob’s 14th birthday, and decorated his hospital room with LED lights and balloons.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The shoes were crafted in olive green leather with subtle folding at the toe; a dainty bow adorned the vamp, while a relatively wide strap bearing the label’s name stretched across the foot.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
-
She was elegantly dressed in a cream coat dress adorned with delicate embroidery, paired with matching heels and a coordinating clutch bag.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gussy up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gussy%20up. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share