to dress up
178
2.7
- phrasal verb
- /drɛs ʌp/
:
vestir(se)
- Then one Christmas, I thought it'd be kind of neat to dress up for all the kids.
- dress up for the occasion
- dress up and play
- dress up as a woman
So we thought Ethan could dress up like this.
- So we thought Ethan could dress up like this.
- They go there, they perform skits, they dress up in costumes.
- Also, I I think dressing up with your friends is fun.
- So I said to him, look, dress up smart and you'll get picked up.
- I'm allowing our daughter to dress up as Kanye.
- So I have to dress up like an Amazon person.
- You think Maria Callas would dress up like Bea Arthur and The Golden Girls?
Examples
-
For the costume party, she decided to dress up as a princess.
-
Her mother made Sidonia dress up in a different dress every evening.
Fiction book (1997) -
Yes, If I want to be something, let me dress up as it, OK.
-
But if I want to, you know, dress up, I I bring these.
-
Every day of the week, l dress up like a different Village Person.
-
See, the dog and the cat loved to dress up and go out together every Friday night.
Fiction book (1994) -
What are you all dressed up for?
-
I still look about twelve years old, even when I dress up like a lawyer.
Fiction book (1991) -
One day I was found dressed up as a queen.
Academic text (2009) -
OK, Everybody dresses up on that day as their St.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To put clothes on yourself or someone else
38
4.0
Put on formal clothes or a uniform for an event
15
4.1
To make a person or a room look special with clothes and decorations
7
3.9
Make yourself look attractive by dressing and doing your hair or makeup
6
4.3
Make people and places look nicer by dressing up, adding decorations, or using makeup
5
8.6
To dress or decorate in a fancy way to look nicer
4
3.7
To dress in special clothes to look different or attractive
1
7.4
To make something like a car or outfit look very fancy by adding bright decorations
1
6.8
Make yourself or someone more stylish using clothes and makeup
1
7.2
To dress up and make yourself look attractive for a special event
To put on special clothes to look nice for an event
To dress in nice clothes for a special event
To put on special clothes to look attractive for an event
Dress yourself or others in fancy clothes to look impressive
To make someone or something look fancier to impress people
Make something look more stylish and attractive
To dress in special clothes to look attractive
To put on fancy clothes to look good
To dress carefully to look fancy
To dress neatly and formally for an event
Antonyms
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to make something seem more attractive' is a clear metaphorical extension of 'dress' (to clothe or adorn) plus the intensifying particle 'up', so a learner who knows the parts can plausibly infer the basic idea. However, the evaluative/deceptive nuance ('superficial or misleading') is not fully predictable from the constituents and may require prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Dress up comes from the clear image of putting on special or fancy clothes for an event, like wearing a suit or a costume for a party. So it means 'to put on special, formal, or costume clothing'.