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
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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
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Her final Instagram post showed a towering pink and white birthday cake decorated with a carousel figurine topper.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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Children will decorate their own cardboard bull and parade them around Scoville Park at 800 Lake St.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Both pieces of the swimsuit were adorned with crystal embellishments.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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This is an excellent, strange little book that appeared in 2011 and had a profound impact on me, and apparently on Florence Welch who adorns the cover with a generous quote.—
Hattie Williams
July 14,
Literary Hub,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gussy up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gussy%20up. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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