decoratedec‧o‧rate /ˈdekəreɪt/ ●●○ verb 
[intransitive, transitive] British English to paint the inside of a room, put special paper on the walls etc: 
The bathroom is decorated in green and yellow. We plan to spend the weekend decorating.2[transitive] to make something look more attractive by putting something pretty on it: Children’s pictures decorated the walls of the classroom.decorate something with something an old-fashioned dress decorated with ribbons and lace3[transitive] to give someone a medal as an official sign of honourdecorate somebody for something soldiers decorated for bravery—decorating noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINdecorate
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin decoratus, past participle of decorare ‘to decorate’, from decus ‘honour, decoration’VERB TABLE
decorate
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | decorate |
| he, she, it | decorates | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | decorated |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have decorated |
| he, she, it | has decorated | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had decorated |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will decorate |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have decorated |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am decorating |
| he, she, it | is decorating | |
| you, we, they | are decorating | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was decorating |
| you, we, they | were decorating | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been decorating |
| he, she, it | has been decorating | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been decorating |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be decorating |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been decorating |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Mum had the whole house decorated before she moved in.
- Sliced kiwi fruit may be used to decorate the dessert.
- The children always enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.
- They've just finished decorating the kitchen.
- Tom had decorated his room with a series of photos of Naples.
- We spent all weekend decorating.
- Among the plastic rats, fluffy animals and copies of the Sun decorating the desks was at least one Labour red rose.
- Encourage children to pick out their own clothes, to decorate their own rooms, and to choose their own activities.
- He even brought copper and brass items to decorate the place.
- It is easy to cut and handle and can be decorated with paper or textured paint.
- Sometimes the streets are decorated with flower petals, although this custom is dying out.
- The long, low church is decorated by paintings all over the exterior and interior walls, openings and window frames.
- They decorated the place with hanging plants and printed fabrics stretched over wooden frames.
Longman Language Activatorto decorate something
to improve the way something looks by painting it or adding something attractive to it: · The children always enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.decorate something with something: · Tom had decorated his room with a series of photos of Naples.
to make food look nice or to add taste to it by adding a small amount of another type of food, often of a different colour: · Before serving the pie, add a little parsley to garnish it.garnish something with something: · Garnish the salad with tropical fruits and sautéed wild mushrooms.
British informal to decorate a place so that it looks bright and new, but often in a way that looks cheap and unpleasant: tart up something: · I don't like the way they've tarted up our office. It looked better the way it was before.tart something up: · "The Waggon and Horses" used to be a really rough pub but now they've tarted it up.
decorated in a particular way · On the table was an ancient book with a decorated cover.decorated with · The little mirror was decorated with shells and beads.· She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat decorated with colored ribbons.richly/elaborately decorated · Sabina stood in the centre of an elaborately decorated living room.
to be specially and colourfully decorated, especially for a celebration or party: be decked out with: · The whole street was decked out with flags and streamers to celebrate the wedding.be decked out for: · Behind the door was another table, all decked out for the party.
formal to decorate something in a beautiful or artistic way: · Rings and gems adorned the fingers of both her hands.adorn something with something: · The bridesmaids had adorned their heads with flowers.be adorned with something: · The walls of the church were richly adorned with carvings and pictures.
if a place is festooned with something, it has long chains of flowers, flags, or material hanging all around it, giving a bright and cheerful appearance: · On the day of the festival the streets were festooned with flags and banners.
the particular way that a room or building is decorated, including all the colours, furniture, pictures etc: · It was a comfortable enough room, but I didn't like the decor very much.· The hotel's decor is dark and museum-like.
used to decorate something things that you use to decorate a place, object, piece of furniture etc especially for a special occasion: · Have you put up your Christmas decorations yet?· The bride's mother had made all the table decorations.
designs and patterns used to decorate buildings, clothes, or furniture: · The only decoration in the room was a picture above the fireplace.· The building was very plain with hardly any decoration at all.for decoration: · These plants are grown mainly for decoration.
an object, often something fairly small, that is used in a room or house to make it look more attractive: · I bought a new Christmas tree ornament - do you want to see it?· Thieves stole all the silver and gold ornaments from the palace.
a small amount of food, often of a different colour, that is used to make a dish look nice or to add taste to it: · Serve the fish with a garnish of lemon.· Fresh parsley is often used for garnishes.
something that is decorative is intended to make a place, object, piece of furniture etc look attractive - use this especially about designs and patterns: · The poem had been embroidered on a pretty decorative pillow.purely/highly decorative: · Many of the nature books are purely decorative, but a few are very informative.
something ornamental , especially in a garden or building, is intended to make a place look more attractive, and usually does not have a useful purpose: · A gardener comes in each week to trim the ornamental trees and bushes.· an ornamental pond
having a lot of decoration fancy clothes, patterns etc have a lot of decoration or bright colours - use this especially when you think something has too much decoration: · a velvet jacket with fancy buttons· The Web site has a lot of fancy graphics.
an ornate object, picture, or part of a building has a lot of expensive or complicated decoration on it: · A pair of ornate gold candlesticks stood on the altar.· The ornate interior of the opera house was almost overwhelming.
carefully and skilfully decorated with a lot of small details: · Nick examined the elaborate carvings on the tomb.· Elaborate murals had been painted on three of the four walls.
someone who decorates British someone who paints houses and puts paper on the walls as their job: · We've had the decorators in all week.· My uncle Bill's been a painter and decorator all his life.
someone whose job is to plan and choose the colours, materials, furniture etc for the inside of people's houses: · They hired an interior designer to redo the entire office.
to paint walls/doors/rooms etc to put paint on walls, doors, pieces of furniture etc: · I'm going to paint the bathroom tomorrow.paint something blue/red/white etc: · What colour did you paint the doors?· The walls were painted tomato red, with matching red drapes.
especially British to paint the inside of a house or put paper on the walls: · They've just finished decorating the kitchen.· We spent all weekend decorating.have something decorated (=pay someone to decorate it): · Mum had the whole house decorated before she moved in.
to change the paint or paper on the walls of a house or room: redecorate something: · When they first moved in, they completely redecorated the whole house.have something redecorated (=pay someone to redecorate it): · We're thinking of having our house redecorated -- can you recommend anyone?
to change the colour of a car by putting new paint on it: · The thieves had resprayed the truck and changed the license plates.· After the accident I took the car to a garage to have it resprayed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY soldiers decorated for braveryCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
soldiers decorated for bravery· We decorated the cake with strawberries and cream.
(=put paint or wallpaper on the inside walls of a house)· If we’re going to decorate the house, let’s get professionals in.
British English
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Other days were spent in cleaning and decorating the bedroom where she would receive her bridegroom.
· He had already been decorated for bravery.
· It is to be finished by Friday, so that the girls can decorate it with flowers.· Sometimes the streets are decorated with flower petals, although this custom is dying out.· Other suggestions were wholesome, home-cooked meals or decorating the home with flowers and plants.· You should then decide which area of parcel is going to be decorated with the pressed flowers and foliage.· Many villagers take part, and the place is decorated with flowers and branches.· An altar to the side had been decorated with flowers and large candles now lit up John's photograph.
· Other suggestions were wholesome, home-cooked meals or decorating the home with flowers and plants.· She is a petite, trim widow of 73 who dresses stylishly and lives in a beautifully decorated Longwood home.· But John and Veronica Saunders still make time to decorate their home from top to toe.· It's only once all these preparations have been done that the family concentrate on decorating their own home.
· However, what we've noticed is how much more expensive it is to decorate an older house.· Time to get out the tree, the ornaments, the special gift baskets and the ceramic figurines to decorate the house.· People living within walking distance of the track decorate their houses for the family cookout with checkered flags and banners.· He had given his undivided attention to decorating his house for more than a week.· It all began about 15 years ago when Pat Jackson got into the spirit and decided to decorate her house.
· Perhaps he should have tried flogging them some more marble to decorate their office.
· The long, low church is decorated by paintings all over the exterior and interior walls, openings and window frames.· The tombs are rock hewn chambers, many beautifully decorated by wall paintings in rich colours.· The downstairs restaurant where breakfast is served, has walls decorated with paintings of people dressed in traditional local costumes.
· His cousin David Hicks had decorated the room in dove grey and gold.· In their newly decorated dining room, alive with rich, warm reds, the grand repast consisted of three meager chops.· People think I put it there as a piece of pop art to decorate the room.· What kind of boy, Pumfrey marvelled, would choose a picture like that to decorate his room?· Among the more unusual jobs Amelia took on at the airfield was decorating the public rooms.· Male speaker We'd just finished decorating the room.· Encourage children to pick out their own clothes, to decorate their own rooms, and to choose their own activities.
· The room is furnished and decorated in period style.· Plus, Marsh said, it is a material that works with many kinds of decorating styles.· To give a harmonious look to the room, the living and dining areas have been decorated in the same style.· No. 7 Charlotte Square has been furnished and decorated in the style of the eighteenth century.· The spacious bedrooms are decorated in rustic style and all have a private bathroom, balcony, radio and telephone.· The quiet, comfortable rooms are beautifully decorated to an individual style and all have private bathroom, television & radio.
· Dimity's knitting had been hastily put aside when she answered the door, and decorated a low table near the fire.· They spent as much time decorating the table as they did making the food.
· Put a slightly dangerous, do-it-yourself toy under the tree these days and you can decorate said tree with lawsuits.· When we finished decorating the tree, we stuck all the prezzies underneath and Annie told me what she reckoned they was.· The center is decorated with a tinsel tree.
· Stone bands were also used to decorate the walls and arches.· Cardboard pilgrims, turkeys and pumpkins decorate the walls.· The room is tidy, a few pictures decorate the walls.· The tombs are rock hewn chambers, many beautifully decorated by wall paintings in rich colours.· The walls are decorated with black wall hangings and tapestries depicting skeletal forms rising from crude graves.
VERB· Changing career to change your life Access to Painting and Decorating Short cut to painting and decorating job opportunities.· The whole of Rome seems to have been built, painted, and decorated by one man; that was Michelangelo.
· Stone bands were also used to decorate the walls and arches.· Thus the techniques used to manufacture and decorate an object are indicative of its authenticity.· For example, the photograph on the previous page shows how pressed flower designs can be used to decorate photograph frames.· Alternatively, you could press some similar flowers in the same colourings and use those to decorate the picture.· Pressed flowers can be used to decorate many other stationery ideas besides the ones shown here.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Above me, the gaily painted signs of the taverns and food shops creaked in the wind and mocked my hunger.
- It took up half a block of Tollemarche Avenue and was gaily painted in red and white.
- The gaily painted striped poles of the merry-go-round figure in almost every work.
WORD FAMILYnoundecordecorationdecoratoradjectivedecorativeverbdecorateadverbdecoratively
1 [intransitive, transitive] British English to paint the inside of a room, put special paper on the walls etc: The bathroom is decorated in green and yellow. We plan to spend the weekend decorating.2[transitive] to make something look more attractive by putting something pretty on it: Children’s pictures decorated the walls of the classroom.decorate something with something an old-fashioned dress decorated with ribbons and lace3[transitive] to give someone a medal as an official sign of honourdecorate somebody for something soldiers decorated for bravery—decorating noun [uncountable]