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

Don’t Neglect the Base Just as the ornaments that decorate your tree can have a big impact on the overall look and feel of your artificial tree, so too is what’s underneath all those branches. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024

The American mall and Spencer’s: A symbiotic relationship In 1982, decorated CBS News reporter Charles Kuralt rode an escalator to the top level of a Midwestern shopping center. —Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 6 Dec. 2024

Known for its rich Appalachian heritage and vibrant arts community, Berea transforms into a winter wonderland during the holiday season, with festive lights adorning historic buildings and handmade ornaments decorating every corner. —Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 5 Dec. 2024

Lugging home a Christmas tree and decorating it in the living room is a family tradition for many of us. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 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