spruce 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of sprucenext
as in elegant
being strikingly neat and trim in style or appearance a slim, spruce man in a tailor-made business suit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spruce

2 of 2

verb

as in to trick

Related Words

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 spruce
Verb
According to Bauhus’s research, climate change has rendered the Black Forest largely uninhabitable to spruce. — Kendra Atleework, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2026 Fortunately, the wise old Professor Tangrowth is there to help spruce it up. — ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026 Something always needs stabilizing, fixing or sprucing in a 174-year-old building. — Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026 Gallagher spent the first week of December sprucing it up, artfully decorating Christmas trees and doing her best to spread holiday cheer to the house's 150 families. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spruce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spruce
  1. elegant
  2. trick
  3. smart
  4. improve
  5. stylish
  6. embellish
  7. fashionable
  8. doll up
Adjective
  • Naval engineers built elegant streets lined with glass balconies that became the envy of northwestern Spain, and more than a century later, Spain’s future dictator, Francisco Franco, the son of a naval officer, was born there.
    — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Lié Studio The Eva Weekend tote $870 This sleek bag is the leather tote at its most elegant—roomy enough to hold travel essentials and crafted in luxurious Portuguese leather.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of elegant
Verb
  • As is the custom, millions of children in the United States will be out in the streets this Halloween to trick-or-treat, decked out in costumes.
    — Muizz Akhtar, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Recommended by Our Editors Others have reported hackers trying to trick users into installing malware through the troubleshooting section on KytyPS5's GitHub page.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Adjective
  • Fortunately, plenty of new high-tech tools offer assistance, including robot guide dogs, a cane-bot (looking a bit like a small R2D2 with giant wheels), multiple types of smart glasses with descriptive audio, and even a haptic vest for blind dogs.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Ten games give him a chance to show better execution, smarter game management, and enough wins to justify another season.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of smart
Verb
  • Parties that likely would support Eisenkot have vowed to improve Israel's international standing and work to conscript ultra-Orthodox men while bolstering the independence of the judiciary.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Such a process could potentially improve lithium recovery from underground brines while reducing the chemical demands of conventional separation methods.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of improve
Adjective
  • Below, the standout styles favored by the most stylish fashion show attendees of the spring 2027 season.
    — Irene Kim, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The stylish and striking young woman also became the designer’s muse.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of stylish
Verb
  • Galland embellished his ghouls with new characteristics not found in the original Arabic, chiefly the macabre practice of digging up graves to feast on human flesh.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
  • George Lutz rejected the suggestion that the entire experience was fabricated and continued to maintain that his family had encountered unexplained phenomena in the house, although some details of the story were embellished over time.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of embellish
Adjective
  • There has, however, been at least one particularly fashionable crossover.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Suiting has taken a turn within the last few years as men, from athletes to actors, are stepping into their most fashionable eras, embracing color and texture.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fashionable
Verb
  • Hanging out was one thing, but the group also wanted to doll up the Potter franchise’s Ron Weasley.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Aug. 2026
  • And Millie Bobby Brown echoed a similar sentiment on her story, sharing Hottle's memorable shot holding a handmade King Kong doll up to the giant ape.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of doll up

Phrases Containing spruce

Browse Nearby Words

sprouts
spruce
spruced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spruce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spruce. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on spruce

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spruce

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All