embroider
/ɪmˈbrɔɪdə
/ /ɛmˈbrɔɪdə/verb
1 [with object] Decorate (cloth) by sewing patterns on it with thread: she embroidered a tablecloth (as adjective embroidered) an embroidered handkerchief [no object]: she was teaching the girls how to embroider...
- Rich, embroidered fabrics such as velvets add class and warmth, and embellishment is definitely in.
- The other woman, Grace, is wearing a long coat patched together out of sky-blue velvet and emerald silk and ivory lace and embroidered upholstery fabric.
- Featuring a variety of household goods at affordable prices, the high end range includes complex patchwork and embroidered linen.
Synonyms
decorate, adorn, ornament, embellish;
sew, stitch
1.1Sew (a design) on cloth with thread: (as adjective embroidered) a chunky sweater with embroidered flowers...
- In later centuries, ladies would compete with each other to embroider beautiful designs on the balls, using silk threads.
- She had said nothing, only went back to embroidering a design.
- I began to embroider an intricate design of Sweden's mountains during sunrise.
2Add fictitious or exaggerated details to (an account) to make it more interesting: she embroidered her stories with colourful detail...
- He has the ability to make the art of storytelling appear easy, and his films often feel like delicate anecdotes, embroidered with quirky detail and recalled with warm affection.
- Many of my stories were embroidered, exaggerated or wholly invented.
- One such narrative, based on truth but embroidered with details highlighting the message, is the tale of Simpson and his donkey.
Synonyms
elaborate, embellish, colour, enlarge on, exaggerate, catastrophize;
add detail to, go into detail about, flesh out, add flesh to;
touch up, dress up, gild, ginger up
informal jazz up
Derivatives
embroiderer
/ /ɛmˈbrɔɪdərə / noun ...- We were the embroiderers for Napoleon III and his court.
- While the various embroiderers who used this subject matter presumably had no personal experience of floods, the theme would nevertheless have allowed for a focus on concerns and anxieties that were more immediate to them.
- While there is no evidence to suggest that embroiderers set out to comment on their source material, their works do nevertheless point to the ways in which the mass media may influence readers' thoughts and ideas.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French enbrouder, from en- 'in, on' + Old French brouder, broisder 'decorate with embroidery', of Germanic origin.