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

2

: 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

Choose the Right Synonym for decorate

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential.

adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original

a white house ornamented with green shutters

, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of decorate in a Sentence

I always enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.

I decorated my apartment in dark colors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every Christmas, the family decorated a tree with apples, as was the German custom. —Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Painted, decorated, or however adorned, designers see walls as an opportunity for making a statement that will set the tone for the room. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024

In each one-hour episode, four families from all around the country decorate their homes to the extreme in the hopes of winning the coveted Light Fight trophy and a $50,000 prize. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024

On this day, families create special ofrendas (altars), decorate gravesites and offer toys, sweets or other items that the children enjoyed in life. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024

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 ˈdek-ə-ˌrāt 

decorated; decorating

1

: to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming

decorate a room

2

: to award a decoration of honor to

decorate a soldier for bravery