spruce up
phrasal verb
Did you know?
titivate, spruce up, smarten up, or spiff up?
Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive." Titivate often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire ("titivate the costume with sequins and other accessories"), but it can also be used figuratively (as in "titivating the script for Broadway"). Spruce up is sometimes used for cosmetic changes or renovations that give the appearance of newness ("spruce up the house with new shutters and fresh paint before trying to sell it"). Smarten up and spiff up both mean to improve in appearance often by making more neat or stylish ("the tailor smartened up the suit with minor alterations"; "he needed some time to spiff himself up for the party"). The origins of titivate are uncertain, but it may have been formed from the English words tidy and renovate.
Examples of spruce up in a Sentence
Chris Johnston, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
The exterior has been spruced up just a tad, with a more aggressive lower front fascia, new rocker panels, and body-color lower trim.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Jan. 2025
These are easy ways to spruce up otherwise bland statements.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Hayek spruced up her smokey eye with green glitter while Cyrus added silver sparkle to hers.
—Katie McBroom, WWD, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spruce up 
Dictionary Entries Near spruce up
Cite this Entry
“Spruce up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spruce%20up. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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