to spruce up
13
3.8
- phrasal verb
- /sprus ʌp/
- Informal
:
adecentar
- We decided to spruce up the living room by adding new cushions and a fresh coat of paint.
- spruce up your place
- spruce up the room
- spruce up your wardrobe
I was in there doing a lot of painting, sprucing it up.
- I was in there doing a lot of painting, sprucing it up.
- And then try to to spruce it up a little bit with with the real guys.
- Hey, hey, you ain't got to do too much to Marie to spruce it up.
Examples
-
You know, I'm thinking about sprucing up the place anyway.
-
I think this will help spruce up your presentation quite a bit.
-
So you really spruced up the place.
-
Are you looking to spruce up your kitchen?
Blog text (26) -
Every year I plan to spruce up the decor, but I never get around to it.
Blog text (5) -
Today I will attempt to spruce up my lackluster outfit.
Blog text (20) -
I love to choose a few new colors to spruce up my makeup palette.
Blog text (24) -
Wednesday we'll rearrange the furniture and spruce up the lawn.
Fiction book (1991) -
If you're ready to make a sale, here are some ways to spruce up your autumn yard.
Blog text (27) -
Here are some tips to carefully plan and spruce up your new home so that you make it irresistible to home buyers.
Blog text (4)
Synonyms
161
1.6
Make a place or things tidy and in order
86
2.0
To wash and make yourself look neat
70
2.7
Make something or yourself smell and feel clean
56
3.4
Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event
48
2.6
Tidy a bed or room so it looks neat
42
1.0
To make a place neat by putting things away
32
1.5
Make a room or desk neat by putting things in their right place
26
4.1
To make a place or person look neat and smart
12
3.2
To make a place tidy and organized
9
3.2
To make a place or person more attractive by adding decorations like paint
8
3.8
Make small changes to something to improve how it looks
8
2.7
Make a room neat by putting things away
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
4
3.0
Make a room look cleaner and nicer with small changes
3
8.0
To make something look neater and more attractive with small changes
3
3.9
To make someone or something look neater and more attractive
1
7.2
Make a person or place look neater and nicer by cleaning and adding small things
1
5.7
Make something look nicer by adding decorations
1
6.8
Make yourself or someone more stylish using clothes and makeup
1
3.7
To make something tidy by arranging things in order
1
5.0
Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface
1
5.8
To make something better in how it works or how it looks
1
4.8
Make yourself or a place look neater and more stylish
To make a place or yourself neat and look nicer
To make something or yourself look neat and attractive
Make a person look neat and more attractive by dressing and grooming them carefully
Make something look more stylish and attractive
To make something old look new by fixing or cleaning it
To dress neatly and formally for an event
Antonyms
How Neat
433
1.0
- Informal
32
1.5
- Informal
13
3.8
- Informal
1
4.8
178
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'spruce' (to tidy or smarten) combined with the particle 'up' (indicating improvement or completion) yields 'make neater/more attractive'. This follows a common English verb+particle compositional pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer.
Etymology
Spruce up may come from the old word spruce, which meant 'neat' or 'smart'. So to spruce up something is to make it neater and more attractive.