dress up

dress ( oneself ) up

to dress in fancy dress. They dressed themselves up in their finest. Please dress up for the dance.

See also: dress, up

dress someone or something up

to make someone or something appear fancier than is actually so. The publicity specialist dressed the actress up a lot. They dressed up the hall so it looked like a ballroom.

See also: dress, up

dress someone or something up (in something)

to clothe, decorate, or ornament someone or something in something. She dressed her dolls up in special clothing. She dressed up her dolls in tiny outfits.

See also: dress, up

dress someone up (as someone or something )

to dress someone to look like or impersonate someone or something. She dressed her little girl up as a witch for Halloween. She dressed up her little girl as a fairy.

See also: dress, up

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dress something up also dress up something

to make something look better or different than it really is No matter how you dress it up, the fact is that we lost. His business record is a string of failures dressed up as successes.

Usage notes: often followed by as, as in the second example

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of dress up (to wear more formal clothes)

See also: dress, up