dress up
See also: dress-up
English
editPronunciation
editVerb
editdress up (third-person singular simple present dresses up, present participle dressing up, simple past and past participle dressed up)
- (intransitive) To put on special or fancy clothes.
- Synonym: (US) gussy up
- Antonym: dress down
- Everyone dressed up for the graduation ball.
- I want a job where I don't have to dress up.
- 2014 December 26, Richard Castka, “Runners brave chilly weather in Boxing Day Run”, in South China Morning Post[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-07-25, Sport[2]:
- Runners had a fun day out in Friday's HKLRRC Boxing Day Race at Wan Chai Gap with most of the participants dressed up in costumes and braving the chilly weather.
- (intransitive, often with 'as') To put on a costume portraying oneself as a particular type of character or well-known person.
- We're having a party on Saturday, but you must dress up as a famous historical figure.
- (transitive, often with 'as') To put a costume on (someone) portraying them as a particular type of character or well-known person.
- The cat hated when they dressed him up for Halloween.
- (transitive) To decorate; to prettify.
- c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
- Mistress, your father prays you leave your books,
And help to dress your sister’s chamber up:
You know to-morrow is the wedding-day.
- (transitive) To present in a favorable light.
- Synonym: spin
- You can dress up that proposal however you want; it's still going to go over like a lead balloon.
Coordinate terms
editDerived terms
edit- dressed up
- dress-up (noun)
Translations
editto put on special or fancy clothes
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to put on a costume portraying oneself as a particular character or figure
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to present in a better light
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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