1
general::
dress sth up
[ M ]
If you dress something up, you add something to it in order to make it seem more interesting or pleasing than it really is
• I thought I'd dress up the frozen pizza with a few extra tomatoes and olives.
• Politicians tried to dress up the bill as a bold new strategy for combatting poverty., dress up
1. to put on formal clothes for a special occasion
• You don't need to dress up to go to the pub - jeans and a T-shirt will do., dress up
2. to put on special clothes in order to change your appearance
• Small children usually love dressing up in their mothers' clothes.
• He dressed up as a cowboy for the party., dress down
If you dress down for an occasion, you intentionally wear informal clothes of the type that will not attract attention
• She always made a point of dressing down on her first date with a man.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
noun piece of clothing ADJ. ankle-length, full-length, long | short | skimpy | clinging, figure-hugging, tight, tight-fitting | loose-fitting, shapeless | full-skirted | backless, high-necked, low-cut, off-the-shoulder, revealing, sleeveless, strapless | slinky | cotton, silk, etc. | day, evening, Sunday | ball, cocktail, dinner, maternity, party, wedding VERB + DRESS zip (up) | unzip | hitch up, lift, pull up She hitched up her long dress so it wouldn't drag in the mud. | pull down | smooth She sat down and smoothed her dress over her legs. DRESS + NOUN material | shop | designer | size PREP. in a/the ~ She appeared in a slinky satin dress.CLOTHES clothes for either men or women ADJ. ceremonial, formal | casual, informal | correct | evening | modern | period | national, traditional He was wearing traditional Scottish dress. | fancy | battle, military | civilian DRESS + NOUN code The club has a strict dress code. | sense He's got poor dress sense. | shirt | uniform in full dress uniform PREP. in … ~ a performance of ‘Hamlet’ in modern dress, verb put on clothes ADV. hurriedly, quickly | slowly | carefully PREP. in He dressed carefully in the brown suit he had been married in. PHRASES be fully dressed She lay down on her bed, fully dressed. | get dressed She got dressed quickly. wear clothes ADV. beautifully, elegantly, fashionably, immaculately, impeccably, neatly, nicely, smartly, well Susan always dresses very elegantly. She was determined to be the best dressed woman at the wedding. | badly, poorly, shabbily | appropriately, suitably | unsuitably | decently, properly, respectably | improperly | plainly, simply, soberly | ostentatiously, nattily, richly | casually | formally | expensively | warmly | scantily | identically The twins were dressed identically. PREP. for I have to dress smartly for work. | in The women were all dressed in blue skirts and white blouses.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary