spruce up

phrasal verb

spruced up; sprucing up; spruces up

: to make (someone or something) look cleaner, neater, or more attractive

We spruced up the room with a fresh coat of paint.

I need to spruce myself up a bit before we go out to dinner.

Did you know?

titivate, spruce up, smarten up, or spiff up?

Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive." Titivate often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire ("titivate the costume with sequins and other accessories"), but it can also be used figuratively (as in "titivating the script for Broadway"). Spruce up is sometimes used for cosmetic changes or renovations that give the appearance of newness ("spruce up the house with new shutters and fresh paint before trying to sell it"). Smarten up and spiff up both mean to improve in appearance often by making more neat or stylish ("the tailor smartened up the suit with minor alterations"; "he needed some time to spiff himself up for the party"). The origins of titivate are uncertain, but it may have been formed from the English words tidy and renovate.

Examples of spruce up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Explore, experiment and let your one-of-a-kind essence speak for itself Comments The only thing better than reading your horoscope is keeping up with Venus transits and sprucing up your look! —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024

December 2 Details: Up to 40% off sitewide Looking to spruce up your whole space on a budget? —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024

The new model however will need to not only redefine its nickname of the ‘date car,’ but also spruce up its less-than-stellar performance that the early Preludes were known for. —Peter Lyon, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Best Home Depot Black Friday Deals Looking to buy a new appliance or simply spruce up your decor? —Averi Baudler, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024