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

The waffle knit pattern provides a unique design that will spruce up any outfit. —Kirsten Chanel Webber, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2024

Other Items to Maximize and/or Decorate the Space Beyond hampers, there are a few other organizational items that can spruce up the laundry room. —Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024

Big Car has spent years sprucing up the grounds and buildings. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 11 July 2024

The next qualifying event is set for October 6th at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Southern California, where the North Course was recently spruced up with a $20 million redesign courtesy of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024