do up

verb

did up; done up; doing up; does up

transitive verb

1

: fasten

do up the buttons of a shirt

… an elderly lady with her jacket done up tightly against the wind …

—Sue Lloyd-Roberts

2

a

: to deck (someone) out : clothe

The waitstaff was done up in western attire.

b

: to furnish (something) with something ornamental : decorate

She always does up the house for the holidays.

3

: to prepare (something) for wear or use (as by cleaning or repairing)

"… I'll make the pies and lady fingers tomorrow and do up my white muslin dress. …"

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

4

a

: to wrap (something) up

do up a package

b

: to prepare and preserve (something) for later use : can entry 2, put up

I did up a bushel of tomatoes.

5

: exhaust, wear out

This contact with righteousness has about done me up!

—Sinclair Lewis

Synonyms

• adorn
• array
• beautify
• bedeck
• bedizen
• blazon
• caparison
• deck
• decorate
• do
• doll up
• drape
• dress
• embellish
• emblaze
• emboss
• enrich
• fancify
• fancy up
• festoon
• garnish
• glitz (up)
• grace
• gussy up
• ornament
• pretty (up)
• trim

Examples of do up in a Sentence

the whole house had been done up for Halloween

on Wild West Day some of the women came to the office done up as showgirls, while the men were mostly outlaws

Recent Examples on the Web

The adjoining Floral Salon is done up in pale pink and white tones, with frothy textures. —Joelle Diderich, WWD, 5 Dec. 2024

The agency plans to do up to 75 of these home repairs in its service area. —La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2024

One of the bedrooms is done up with black-and-white-striped wallpaper, black-and-white-striped canopy beds, and black-and-white-striped pillows — all very Beetlejuice. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Nov. 2024

The Capella Manor has been done up by the interior decorator Simone Haag, who aimed for a contemporary-chic design. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 3