How to Use dress-up in a Sentence

dress-up

1 of 2 noun
  • The coat will keep your child warm while playing dress-up in the winter months.
    — Nora Colomer, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2024
  • The first player runs to the pile, puts on all the dress-ups on top of their regular clothes, and then runs back to the team.
    — Catherine Holecko, Parents, 30 July 2024
  • This is hardly Clive’s first dress-up session with Kate at the helm.
    — Korin Miller, Women's Health, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Apart from playing dress-up, the kids indulged in tea, fruit, croissants, and donuts.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
  • In June, the pair treated fans to a glimpse of one of those vacation dress-up moments.
    — Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
  • See the mini pony, Dolly dress-up station, book drive and more.
    — Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Morse joked that the dress-up loving couple could not have planned it better.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2023
  • This version has flattering cap sleeves, is the perfect length, and the A-line cut works for most dress-up events.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025
  • And trying to play dress-up as a clay-court specialist for eight weeks of the year is little more than a waste of time.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 June 2025
  • Don’t force dress-up Some pets are amenable to a little dress-up and may do just fine strutting in costume.
    — Julia Lamont, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024
  • What if, instead of a high school tradition, the dress-up bit was part of a silly shtick for the town follies?
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023
  • Much of the fun in the film comes from Barbie literally playing dress-up.
    — Time, 11 July 2023
  • While playing dress-up one day, Carla is inspired to have a tea party for Granny and Doc.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
  • In an Instagram post from March 1, the mom and daughter enjoyed some closet dress-up time in a cute video.
    — Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2023
  • Brill has a rodent-like high energy as Cohn, and Bauer has fun playing dress-up.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2023
  • As of 2021, Flava Flav had eight grandchildren, one of whom wore his iconic clock for dress-up day at school.
    — Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Playing dress-up and putting on shows were typical of her childhood.
    — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Shop jewelry, dress-up pieces, crafts—like this beading kit—for littles of all ages.
    — Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Each matinee will be preceded by pre-show dress-up party, a first for the ballet.
    — Lezlie Sterling, Sacramento Bee, 16 Feb. 2024
  • Tuck books into baskets or hang dress-up costumes from hooks on a pegboard.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Chopra also appeared to have played dress-up with the toddler, who in one photo clapped her hands while sporting long, press-on nails.
    — Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
  • To her point, the collection was inspired by by raiding the closets of one’s parents and playing dress-up.
    — Mikelle Street, WWD, 22 Sep. 2024
  • Our list this year spans price, complexity and time, with a gift for everyone, from the 6-year-old playing dress-up to the 60-year-old war-gamer.
    — James Palmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Even good intentions have bad timing these days as Sunday was rookie dress-up day for the Sox.
    — Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Bond over dress-up dates, epic live shows, and glamorous experiences that keep the two of you up until sunrise.
    — The Astrotwins, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Her leading on both ends explains why the record sounds like the perfect soundtrack to the Barbie dress-up games of the early 2000s that died when Adobe Flash Player did.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2023
  • For example, if your child loves the movie The Little Mermaid, then look for toys like mermaid dress-up clothes or mermaid toys.
    — Jessica Booth, Parents, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Red carpet, pink carpet: There’s a great appetite for glamour of the dress-up variety at the moment.
    — Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Lizzo’s Lady Grinch costume is the latest in a string of holiday dress-ups.
    — Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Growing up in Lawrence, the artist played virtual dress-up games online and dug into costumes her Girl Scout leader mom kept.
    — Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

dress up

2 of 2 verb
  • Hot dogs are the perfect food to dress up to your taste.
    — Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2022
  • Dare to dress up, dare to be chic, dare to go out and have fun again.
    — Jordan Michelman, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 July 2022
  • Easy to dress up or down, how classy are these wingtips?
    — Cnn Underscored Staff, CNN Underscored, 30 Nov. 2020
  • Phoebe Gates got all dressed up last week for a good cause.
    — Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 19 July 2023
  • And, of course, dress up your kids, ages 10 and under, for the chance to trick-or-treat.
    — Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Oct. 2021
  • For the first time in his life, her dad had agreed to dress up for Halloween.
    — Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2020
  • The brand's unique shapes and prints dress up the most casual lewks.
    — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 18 Feb. 2022
  • Not to mention that it can be worn dressed up and down.
    — Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2023
  • Here, some of the most stylish ways to dress up your doors for the festive season.
    — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 11 Nov. 2022
  • There's no need to get all dressed up to match your mini-me.
    — Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 2 May 2024
  • The great thing about fur (or faux fur) hats is that they can be dressed up or down.
    — Robyn Merrett, StyleCaster, 30 Dec. 2024
  • The tracksuit could be dressed up with a pair of shiny loafers, a watch, and a necklace.
    — Essence, 21 June 2024
  • There's no better way to dress up a plant than with a great pot.
    — Monique Valeris, Good Housekeeping, 25 Aug. 2022
  • The jeans have a high-rise, straight-leg fit that’s comfy, stylish, and easy to dress up or down.
    — Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Have fun dressing up, and invite your guests to do the same.
    — Maggie Griswold, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Henry branched out and chose to dress up as Iron Man this year.
    — Rashika Jaipuriar, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Oct. 2021
  • That sleek jacket and those low-cut boots can dress up a pair of jeans.
    — Catherine Gaugh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2022
  • Of course, Megan Fox doesn't always dress up to match her man.
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2022
  • Metallics are such a great neutral to dress up just about any look.
    — Alexis Bennett, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2022
  • SpaceX's next Starship to fly is all dressed up for launch.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2025
  • So, go ahead and dress up every room of the house with houseplants!
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 22 Mar. 2021
  • Since this is a special night, ask your friends to dress up in their cutest ‘fits.
    — Leah Campano, Seventeen, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Slice a few extra orange wheels to dress up the bowl as well.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2025
  • No… [laughs] That’s a song full of shadows but dressed up to seem shiny – a bit like me.
    — Billboard Italy, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2024
  • No, not French fries dressed up with a little Conecuh sausage.
    — Lawrence Specker | , al, 4 Apr. 2023
  • It was designed to just give us all a reason to dress up and skate.
    — Janay Kingsberry, Washington Post, 21 May 2022
  • For couples, this is a great time to dress up and hit the town for some posh outings.
    — The Astrotwins, ELLE, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Add Hints of Gold Gold is a classy way to dress up your decor, even without the cliche pots of gold.
    — Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Throughout their trip, Gomez and her friends lounged on the beach and dressed up in matching sweatsuits.
    — Marina Watts, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Pee-wee Herman, who was dressed up as the devil for the holiday.
    — George Tanner, Denver Post, 26 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dress-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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