Meaning of decorate in English

decorate

verb

/ˈdek.ər.eɪt/ uk

/ˈdek.ə.reɪt/

decorate verb (MAKE ATTRACTIVE)

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B1 [ T ]

to add something to an object or place, especially in order to make it more attractive:

They decorated the wedding car with ribbons and flowers.

B1 [ I or T ] mainly UK

(US usually redecorate)

to paint the inside or outside of a house or put paper on the inside walls:

We're going to decorate the kitchen next week.

I hate the smell of paint when I'm decorating.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to redecorate a room, house, etc.

redecorateI'm redecorating my bedroom in this season's latest colors.
decorateUK I love to decorate and create cosy spaces in each room.
refurbishThe university library is currently being refurbished.
renovateThey were in the process of renovating an old barn.
revampThe restaurant has recently been revamped.
do upHe's bought an old cottage and is gradually doing it up.

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More examplesFewer examples

He promised he'd help me decorate, but now he's trying to wriggle out of it.
She's even decorated the spare room in anticipation of your visit.
In the center of the hall stood a colossal wooden statue, decorated in ivory and gold.
She decorated the cake herself.
When we moved in, the house hadn't been decorated for 20 years, and it showed.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Decorating or making something attractive

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Building: interior decoration

decorate verb (HONOR)

[ T ]

to reward or honor a person by giving them something, especially a medal:

They were decorated for their part in the rescue.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Praising and applauding

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(Definition of decorate from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

decorate | Intermediate English

decorate

verb [ T ]

/ˈdek·əˌreɪt/

decorate verb [T] (MAKE ATTRACTIVE)

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to add something to an object or place, esp. to make it more attractive:

They decorated the table with flowers and candles.

decorate verb [T] (HONOR)

to reward or honor a person by giving him or her a medal, badge, etc.:

All four firefighters were decorated for bravery.

(Definition of decorate from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of decorate

decorate

A hand mirror was made not of glass but of polished metal, with a wooden handle decorated with gold.

From NPR

A shrine decorated with elephant heads stood at the center of the settlement.

From ABC News

I think many people feel like they're decorating with one eye over their shoulder.

From Huffington Post

I like how they decorated the tree and didn't bother with a stand.

From San Francisco Chronicle

The garlands are used by people to decorate their homes.

From CBS News

You can even decorate your subject with things like glasses or hats.

From USA TODAY

Someone has tenderly decorated the box with a black felt pen.

From Los Angeles Times

I hung the personalized stockings my mother had sewn for my stepdaughters on the mantle and decorated the tree with ornaments from my childhood.

From Huffington Post

She hasn't decorated the house for the holidays.

From New York Daily News

He tethered them to tree branch shafts with leather straps decorated with feathers.

From NOLA.com

Each of the 18 rooms is decorated with different aboriginal-themed artwork.

From The Seattle Times

There were at least 100 people on the block, which was decorated with balloons and shiny red streamers.

From Chicago Tribune

This is a bamboo stick with an inverted jar at the end of it which is decorated with flowers and mango leaves.

From Huffington Post

They decorated the cans with wild plants, and even discovered a scent that attracted the bats.

From The Atlantic

The space is decorated with stuffed animals hanging from sky blue walls.

From Huffington Post

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of decorate?

B1,B1