decorate
verb
dec·o·rate ˈde-kə-ˌrāt 
decorated; decorating
transitive verb
1
: to add honor to
decorated commerce with the splendid virtues of honor and loyalty
Geoffrey Household
Geoffrey Household2
: to furnish with something ornamental
decorate a room with artwork
decorating the Christmas tree
3
: to award a mark of honor to
a soldier decorated for valor
highly decorated war veterans
intransitive verb
: to furnish something with ornamentation
decorating for the party
Synonyms
- adorn
- array
- beautify
- bedeck
- bedizen
- blazon
- caparison
- deck
- do
- doll up
- do up
- drape
- dress
- embellish
- emblaze
- emboss
- enrich
- fancify
- fancy up
- festoon
- garnish
- glitz (up)
- grace
- gussy up
- ornament
- pretty (up)
- trim
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
I always enjoy decorating the Christmas tree. I decorated my apartment in dark colors.
Recent Examples on the Web Learn how to decorate with sage green using tips from the experts. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2022 While there are many gold standards and rules of hosting (such as being attentive to your seating charts and personally greeting each of your guests), how a host chooses to decorate isn’t as rigid. Isiah Magsino, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2021 Let your kids stuff them with their favorite Halloween candies and then decorate the outside. Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, 24 Aug. 2022 Prequel is an increasingly popular photo and video-editing app for iOS and Android devices that offers a library of ‘aesthetic filters’ that can be used to adjust, alter and decorate digital imagery. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Visitors come decked out in costumes, decorate campsites and enjoy trick-or-treating, hay rides, pumpkin carving and contests. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2022 The skirt is made of satin in bright colors and the figures of peaks that decorate it are called grecas; each one is made from a pleated ribbon and guipure lace. Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 Companies like Scottsdale Bachelorette and Girl About Town — another bachelorette planning and decorating service — stock fridges, help book events through other vendors and decorate Airbnbs before groups arrive. Sofia Krusmark, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2022 The chairs, which come in a variety of colors, decorate yards, decks and patios seemingly everywhere. Bruce Vielmetti, Journal Sentinel, 8 June 2022 See More
Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2022 While there are many gold standards and rules of hosting (such as being attentive to your seating charts and personally greeting each of your guests), how a host chooses to decorate isn’t as rigid. Isiah Magsino, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2021 Let your kids stuff them with their favorite Halloween candies and then decorate the outside. Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, 24 Aug. 2022 Prequel is an increasingly popular photo and video-editing app for iOS and Android devices that offers a library of ‘aesthetic filters’ that can be used to adjust, alter and decorate digital imagery. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Visitors come decked out in costumes, decorate campsites and enjoy trick-or-treating, hay rides, pumpkin carving and contests. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2022 The skirt is made of satin in bright colors and the figures of peaks that decorate it are called grecas; each one is made from a pleated ribbon and guipure lace. Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 Companies like Scottsdale Bachelorette and Girl About Town — another bachelorette planning and decorating service — stock fridges, help book events through other vendors and decorate Airbnbs before groups arrive. Sofia Krusmark, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2022 The chairs, which come in a variety of colors, decorate yards, decks and patios seemingly everywhere. Bruce Vielmetti, Journal Sentinel, 8 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin decoratus, past participle of decorare, from decor-, decus ornament, honor — more at decent
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
decorate
verb
dec·o·rate ˈde-kə-ˌrāt
decorated; decorating
1
: to make more attractive by adding beautiful or festive things
We decorated the room with flowers.
2
: to award a badge of honor to
The soldier was decorated for bravery.
decorates
verb
as in adorns
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming decorated the mansion's hallways with priceless paintings and luxurious tapestries Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- adorns
- drapes
- trims
- dresses
- ornaments
- enriches
- embellishes
- beautifies
- paints
- graces
- festoons
- embosses
- bedecks
- decks
- does
- garnishes
- arrays
- embroiders
- caparisons
- brightens
- blazons
- fancifies
- emblazes
- dolls up
- bedizens
- does up
- traps
- gussies up
- freshens
- glitzes (up)
- hangs
- chases
- pretties (up)
- accessorizes
- fancies up
- garlands
- gilds
- ribbons
- flounces
- wreathes
- fringes
- filigrees
- swags
- braids
- frills
- appliqués
- figures
- smartens
- redecorates
- jewels
- dresses up
- bosses
- feathers
- fillets
- furbelows
- laces
- diamonds
- gems
- redoes
- pearls
- tricks (out)
- spruces (up)
- impearls
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disfigures
- defaces
- scars
- reveals
- displays
- simplifies
- spoils
- streamlines
- mars
- dismantles
- exposes
- uncovers
- bares
- denudes
- strips
- divests
- blemishes
- uglifies