Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to fig out

to fig out

9.9
To dress in special clothes to look attractive
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɪg aʊt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : arreglarse
  • They figged out in their finest clothes for the annual gala.

Examples

  • He likes to fig out before important meetings to impress his clients.

  • She spent an hour figging out for her first big date.

  • Don't forget to fig out your clothes for the event!

  • I need to fig out something nice to wear.

  • She took time to fig out a beautiful dress for the party.

  • Before the wedding, he wanted to fig out in a tuxedo to look sharp.

  • They always fig out in stylish outfits when attending formal events.

Synonyms

to dress up
vsto fig out
178 2.7

Put on special clothes for an event or to look attractive

focuses more on extra elaboration to appear particularly appealing
to doll
vsto fig out
  • Informal
22 7.6

To dress someone or something in a fancy way

focuses more on self-styling to appear especially appealing
to deck out
vsto fig out
  • Informal
15 4.1

To make a person or a room look special with clothes and decorations

centres more on creating a striking outfit with added flourish
to gussy
vsto fig out
  • Informal
8 8.7

Make something or someone look fancier by adding decorations

places more emphasis on wearing an overall elaborate outfit to impress
to attire
vsto fig out
  • Formal
7 4.6

To put on special clothes to look nice or impressive

often involves more informal ornament or showy detail to attract
to gussy up
vsto fig out
  • Informal
5 8.6

To dress or decorate in a fancy way to look nicer

is more about general attractiveness rather than deliberately flashy display
to get up
vsto fig out
4 3.7

To dress in special clothes to look different or attractive

stresses ornate or special elements rather than mere strikingness
to doll up
vsto fig out
  • Informal
1 7.2

To dress up and make yourself look attractive for a special event

leans more toward extra showiness and elaborate styling to impress
to trick out
vsto fig out
  • Informal
1 7.4

To make something like a car or outfit look very fancy by adding bright decorations

focuses more on wearing special clothes rather than added adornments
to tart up
vsto fig out
  • UK
1 8.9

To make something or someone look bright and showy to attract attention

aims for attractiveness but with less obvious tastelessness
to turn out
vsto fig out
1 3.4

To dress someone in special clothes for an event

centres more on clothing elaboration specifically to increase attractiveness
to tog up
vsto fig out
  • UK
9.4

To put on special clothes to look attractive for an event

stresses extra ornament or flourish to increase showy appeal
to tog out
vsto fig out
  • UK
8.6

To dress in nice clothes for a special event

emphasizes extra elaboration beyond ordinary occasion dressing
to prink
vsto fig out
  • Archaic
9.9

To dress carefully to look fancy

is broader and can include less fussy elaboration for attractiveness
to fancy up
vsto fig out
  • Informal
6.5

Make something look more stylish and attractive

often involves a higher level of elaboration aiming to impress
to deck up
vsto fig out
  • Informal
8.2

To put on special clothes to look nice for an event

adds extra show or elaboration aimed at drawing attention
to gussie
vsto fig out
  • Informal
9.9

To make a person or thing look fancy, often in a showy way

is more about wearing elaborate clothing to seem especially appealing
to fig up
vsto fig out
  • UK
9.9

To put on fancy clothes to look good

leans toward extra elaboration intended to impress observers
to rig out
vsto fig out
  • Informal
6.9

Dress yourself or others in fancy clothes to look impressive

is more about self-dressing to appear especially showy
to dandify
vsto fig out
  • Archaic
9.6

To dress someone or make them act in a showy, fashionable way

is closer to general elaborate dressing aimed mainly at attractiveness
to trick up
vsto fig out
  • Informal
7.2

To make someone or something look fancier to impress people

focuses on self-presentation using special clothes to seem appealing

Antonyms

undress
  • NSFW
5 3.3

The state of wearing no or only some clothes

to dress down
  • Informal
1 3.8

To wear casual clothes instead of formal ones

How Fancy

to glam up
  • Informal
1 6.8
to dress up
178 2.7
to fig out
  • Archaic
9.9
to spruce up
  • Informal
13 3.8
to wear
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

fig out infinitive
figged out past
figged out past participle
figging out present participle
figs out third person singular

Morphology

fig + out

The MWE meaning 'to put on special or elaborate clothes' is not derivable from the constituents: 'fig' has no attested relevant lexical sense here and 'out' only provides a directional/particle sense, so their combination does not transparently yield 'dress up'. The expression therefore appears idiomatic or slang-like and would be unpredictable to a B1 learner who only knows the component words.

Etymology

Fig out comes from an old slang verb fig that meant to add small decorations or wear fancy clothes. People would literally fig themselves out before a party to look nicer, so the phrase came to mean 'to dress up'.