dress up

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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb (transitive & intransitive):
    • To wear formal, elegant, or special clothing, often for a specific occasion or to create a particular impression.
    • To put on a costume or disguise oneself.
    • To make something appear more attractive, interesting, or acceptable than it really is, often in a deceptive way.
Usage and Examples

  • To wear formal or fancy clothes:

    • We need to dress up for the gala dinner; jeans are not allowed.
    • He dresses up in a suit and tie every day for work.

  • To wear a costume:

    • The children love to dress up as superheroes.
    • She dressed up as a pirate for the costume party.

  • To embellish or make something superficially attractive:

    • The report uses complicated jargon to dress up some very basic ideas.
    • You can't dress up the facts; the situation is serious.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
  • "dress up" vs. "dress": "Dress up" implies a level of formality, special effort, or transformation beyond ordinary "dressing."
  • "dressed up" (adjective phrase): Describes the state of being in formal or costume attire.
    • You look very dressed up. Where are you going?
  • The phrasal verb can be separated by a noun object.
    • She dressed the children up in their Halloween costumes.
Variants and Related Words
  • Dress-up (noun): The act or an instance of dressing in costumes or fancy clothes.
    • The kids are having a dress-up party.
  • Dressy (adjective): Characterized by or requiring fancy or formal dress.
    • The restaurant has a dressy atmosphere.
Synonyms
  • Formalize (in the context of making attire formal).
  • Disguise, costume (in the context of wearing a disguise).
  • Embellish, gild, gloss over, pretty up (in the context of making something deceptively attractive).
Phrasal Verbs and Related Constructions
  • Dress down: The opposite; to wear casual clothes.
    • Our office allows us to dress down on Fridays.
  • Get dressed up: An alternative phrasing with the same meaning.
    • They got all dressed up for the wedding.
Idioms and Common Phrases
  • Dress up to the nines: To dress in an extremely elegant or fashionable manner.
    • They were dressed up to the nines for the premiere.
  • Dress something up as something else: To present something deceptively as being different or better.
    • The policy is just a tax increase dressed up as economic reform.
Verb
  1. dress in a certain manner
    • She dresses in the latest Paris fashion
    • he dressed up in a suit and tie
  2. dress in a costume
    • We dressed up for Halloween as pumpkins
  3. put a caparison on
    • caparison the horses for the festive occasion
  4. make something appear superficially attractive
    • The researcher tried to dress up the uninteresting data
    • Don't try to dress up the unpleasant truth
  5. put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive
    • She never dresses up, even when she goes to the opera
    • The young girls were all fancied up for the party

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