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 temporary spaces, done up like blue gift boxes, will offer special birthday rituals and opportunities for personalization. —Joelle Diderich, WWD, 1 Mar. 2025

The rooms are done up in a beachy beige perfection with linen-upholstered seatings and rattan accents. —Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025

Earle, 24, rocks some of her boldest glam looks yet in the images with her platinum blonde hair done up with Brigitte Bardot-level volume and her eyebrows bleached to barely there status. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025

One member of the choir taught fifth grade, and her tween fan army, done up in rhinestones and taffeta, buzzed overhead in the balcony. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for do up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup