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

Use a Swedish dish cloth to wipe down the countertop at least once a day, then aim to spruce up cabinet fronts and hardware at least once a week. —Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025

The village was spruced up, and welcome programs were held in its main square. —Reuters, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2025

Culver Canella Culver Cannella glassware is perfect for the serial entertainer looking to spruce up their bar cart. —Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024

Bringing The Natural World Indoors While 2024 was the year of the backyard, with homeowners prioritizing sprucing up their outdoor spaces, 2025 is all about bringing the outdoor oasis inside. —Terri Williams, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024