1. phrasal verbIf you dress up or dress yourself up, you put on different clothes, in order to make yourself look smarter than usual or to disguise yourself.
You do not need to dress up for dinner. [VERB PARTICLE]
I just love the fun of dressing up in another era's clothing. [VPin/as n]
Little girls dress up as angels for fiestas. [VP + as]
[Also + in] 2. phrasal verbIf you dress someone up, you give them special clothes to wear, in order to make them look smarter or to disguise them.
Mother loved to dress me up. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
[Also VERB PARTICLE noun (not pronoun)] 3. phrasal verbIf you dress something up, you try to make it seem more attractive, acceptable, or interesting than it really is.
Politicians dress up their ruthless ambition as a pursuit of the public good. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
However you dress it up, a bank only exists to lend money. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
4. See also dressed up, dressing-up
More Synonyms of dress up
See full dictionary entry for dress