1
as in to dress
to put on one's best or formal clothes
we always like to dress up when going to parties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to disguise
to change the dress or looks of so as to conceal true identity
the war was a fiasco that the administration tried to dress up as a triumph
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in to clothe
to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes
the girls were dressed up in skirts or dresses, but the boys were wearing jeans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of dress up
Organizers even dressed up in period pieces.
—
Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
The Mona Lisa, Italian chefs, and guys dressed up as a collage of famous buildings - the Colosseum!
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
One of the teen's mothers contacted law authorities in California to report text messages on his phone discussing him dressing up in a delivery uniform and committing a burglary, court documents said.
—Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The whole family donned matching festive onesies to celebrate Billy's first Christmas in 2018 — and even dressed up their two dogs!
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
The Mona Lisa, Italian chefs, and guys dressed up as a collage of famous buildings - the Colosseum!
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
One of the teen's mothers contacted law authorities in California to report text messages on his phone discussing him dressing up in a delivery uniform and committing a burglary, court documents said.
—Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The whole family donned matching festive onesies to celebrate Billy's first Christmas in 2018 — and even dressed up their two dogs!
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dress up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up
Verb
-
Scherr was dressed out, but sat on the bench with what appeared to be a brace for support for her back.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
-
From cozy sweater dresses that feel comfortable enough for long travel days to polished maxi dresses that work for dinners and special occasions, winter-friendly silhouettes make getting dressed on the road refreshingly easy.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What remains is a tool of self-discipline, disguised as self-help.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Political partisans tend to behave in a partisan way—even if that partisanship is disguised as apolitical, Christian living.—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Inside were candied almonds and hazelnuts in coatings the colors of raspberries and coffee, basil and lemons.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
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And under the broiler, it becomes burnished on the bird, almost candied in taste.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the monks, clad in saffron and maroon robes, soon became unexpected celebrities.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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The latter posed up a storm at The Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center, clad in a bold, texture-heavy outfit featuring suede boots.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Looking to doll up your collarbones instead?—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
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The store had to be closed for several days while volunteers set the dolls up for display, and only 25 shoppers could be allowed in at a time for viewing because of the dolls’ values.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Ted Rossman, a principal analyst at Bankrate, said this spending by higher-income households is masking cutbacks that are happening further down the income ladder.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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By the time the music stopped, Malinin was left trying to mask the sorrow for a crowd that included Nathan Chen, the 2022 Olympic champion; seven-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, and actor Jeff Goldblum and his wife, Emilie.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Very few of today’s displays predate the 1990s, with some being renovated over the years to either spruce them up or change their theme.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The finish is like a veil with a light-reflecting brightness that does wonders at camouflaging darkness and discoloration.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
1 Feb. 2026
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The tower is designed to resemble a tree in an effort to camouflage the antennas and reduce its visual impact.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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