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sprucing (up)

verb

present participle of spruce (up)
as in trimming
to make neat hurriedly sprucing up the hotel dining room before the breakfast crowd began showing up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprucing (up)
  1. trimming
  2. organizing
  3. arranging
Verb
  • In the most recent two years, the Democrat believed the county was cutting into bone rather than trimming fat.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That means inspecting flood control and drainage systems, trimming trees that could knock down power lines during high winds, and reinforcing or maintaining infrastructure such as dams, stormwater channels, roads and bridges.
    — Bethany Tietjen, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Their brand names have some modest residual value but their original purpose—organizing content into a schedule—is entirely anachronistic today.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Stop organizing your attention by the calendar; start letting the client’s life trigger it.
    — Lital Marom, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of organizing
Verb
  • Their attention to detail in the studio when arranging each member’s parts was like witnessing true geniuses at work.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In a clip first shared with Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar-winning filmmaker recalls arranging an appearance on Judge Judy involving the whole Spielberg clan — a 90th birthday gift to his late mother, Leah Adler, a huge fan of Sheindlin’s.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of arranging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

sprucing
sprucing (up)
sprung
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Cite this Entry

“Sprucing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprucing%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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