plural dress-ups
1
: a time or occasion for which fancy or formal clothing is worn
Miller used to favor high-necked lace blouses for dress-up and fishing hats for play.—
Curry Kirkpatrick
Curry KirkpatrickMarla feels comfiest in jeans and sweats but likes soft beiges for dress-up.—People Weekly
People WeeklyAlso like their parents, children want a wardrobe that is suitable for a variety of activities: play, school and dress-up.—Andrea Skinner
Andrea Skinner2
: a game or activity (as for children) that involves dressing up in special clothing or costumes
Most young children like to play dress-up, parading around the house in their dad's wing tips or smearing their mom's lipstick all over their face.—Christine Gorman
Christine GormanNina was petite but too muscular to wear her mother's cast-off Chanel. She was like a girl playing dress-up.—Tom Jenks
Tom JenksI drew pictures with her and played dress-up with our mother's party gowns.—Lorene Cary
Lorene CarySo get in the spirit with these costume parties, haunted tours, pet dress-ups, … and haunted houses.—Cincinnati.com
Cincinnati.com
dressed up; dressing up; dresses up
1
: to make more attractive, glamorous, or fancy
dress up a plain dessert with a rich chocolate sauce
2
a
: to attire in best or formal clothes
b
: to attire in clothes suited to a particular role
3
: to present in the most attractive or impressive light
a fiasco dressed up as a triumph
: to get dressed up
Synonyms
Examples of dress-up in a Sentence
Verb
we always like to dress up when going to parties
the war was a fiasco that the administration tried to dress up as a triumph
Recent Examples on the Web
Nora Colomer, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2024
Dressed in a full-body recreation of the original puppet from the film, Monáe modeled a number of iconic looks from the movie, including the famous dress-up scene between the alien and Drew Barrymore’s character.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024
Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
But the youngsters' older siblings took costume ideas into their own hands, with Luna rocking a creepy black-and-red clown look while Miles dressed up and dabbed as DJ Marshmello.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress-up 
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Noun
The coat will keep your child warm while playing dress-up in the winter months.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2024
Dressed in a full-body recreation of the original puppet from the film, Monáe modeled a number of iconic looks from the movie, including the famous dress-up scene between the alien and Drew Barrymore’s character.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
The Grammy-winner dressed up in several different recognizable looks that Anderson has sported through the years.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
But the youngsters' older siblings took costume ideas into their own hands, with Luna rocking a creepy black-and-red clown look while Miles dressed up and dabbed as DJ Marshmello.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress-up
Dictionary Entries Near dress-up
Cite this Entry
“Dress-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress-up. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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