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

A grandmother in rural Zambia has become an accidental style icon and internet sensation - after agreeing to play dress-up and swapping outfits with her fashionista granddaughter.

From BBC

The video closed out Beyonce's costume dress-up with the caption "Happy Beylloween."

From Salon

"Donald Trump, a 78-year-old who’s never earned a real paycheck in his life, put on a show, playing dress-up to act like he’s one of us."

From Salon

Playing dress-up at her grandmother’s, where she’d deck herself to the nines in borrowed costume jewelry, she soon found out that what was encouraged by her open-minded family was derided in the outside world.

From Los Angeles Times

A post from April, claiming that Beyoncé was criticized for “playing dress-up” by releasing country music, received more than 50,000 shares and 28,000 comments.

From New York Times

Related Words

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