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

Instead of scrolling through Instagram—or, admittedly, hitting the snooze button a few too many times—Vig encourages you to spend that time sprucing up your space. —Kelsey Mulvey, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2024

From botanical prints to rattan place mats, the garden girl trend teaches you how to spruce up spaces by embracing nature. —Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2024

What's next: Along with the arena expansion, D.C. is planning to spruce up the streetscape in Chinatown, but those designs and investments aren't yet finalized. —Anna Spiegel, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024

Best Amazon Prime Day Home Beauty Deals Just like your beauty routine, now's the time to spruce up your space with glam-enhancing finds. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 9 Oct. 2024