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

Best Home Depot Black Friday Deals Looking to buy a new appliance or simply spruce up your decor? —Averi Baudler, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Don’t forget to spruce up your new Christmas tree with ornaments and holiday lights, which are also on sale for Black Friday. —Molly Blanco, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Nov. 2024

Even the stalwart streetcars get a spruce up: Evergreen trim encircles their brows, and shining ornaments drape over their windscreens. —Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2024

The company has spruced up its in-store apparel offering and built out an online marketplace while expanding delivery and curbside pick up and layering in newer businesses, like online advertising. —Evan Clark, WWD, 19 Nov. 2024