dress-up

[ dres-uhp ]

adjective

1. being an occasion, situation, etc., for which one must be somewhat formally well-dressed:

   the first dress-up dance of the season.

noun

1. Informal. Usually dress-ups.
   1. a person's best clothes:

      Wear your dress-ups for the reception.

   2. accessories or other added features:

      a car with custom dress-ups.

dress up

verb

1. to attire (oneself or another) in one's best clothes
2. to put fancy dress, disguise, etc, on (oneself or another), as in children's games

   let's dress up as ghosts!

3. tr to improve the appearance or impression of

   it's no good trying to dress up the facts

Word History and Origins

Origin of dress-up¹

First recorded in 1665–75; noun, adj. use of verb phrase dress up

Example Sentences

The subculture includes “furries,” or people who dress up in elaborate animal costumes.

From Los Angeles Times

Hernández has also gotten his chance to dress up as inanimate objects or non-human characters, similar to other recent “SNL” breakout star Bowen Yang.

From Salon

If you dress up as a Zombie, don’t go as Jeff Bezos.

From Salon

“This is where movies are made and this is where people dress up.”

From Los Angeles Times

More than 100,000 fans visited the show for a chance to dress up, play new games and meet their favourite voice actors - some queuing for a long time.

From BBC

Related Words

• attire
• clothe
• deck out
• embellish
• spruce up