deck 1 of 2

as in balcony
a flat roofless structure attached to a building the family usually ate on the deck on summer evenings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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deck

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deck different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of deck are adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When can adorn be used instead of deck?

In some situations, the words adorn and deck are roughly equivalent. However, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of deck?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When could decorate be used to replace deck?

The meanings of decorate and deck largely overlap; however, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is embellish a more appropriate choice than deck?

The synonyms embellish and deck are sometimes interchangeable, but embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

Where would garnish be a reasonable alternative to deck?

While the synonyms garnish and deck are close in meaning, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of deck?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deck
Noun
Embers whooshed across the landscape, igniting trees, hedges, and the roofs, decks, and sidings of wooden houses that had been built to survive earthquakes, but never a fire of these proportions. Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Jan. 2025 One was the hedonistic modernism of the 1960s, with its pools and decks and living rooms designed to complement the perfect martini. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
Hollywood's biggest names decked the halls with boughs of holly and enjoyed the Christmas holiday on Wednesday. Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024 Wadsworth Griswold House decks the halls just like 'Christmas Vacation' In Northeast Ohio, the Griswold House in Wadsworth is festooned with 25,000 twinkle lights, just like the film. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deck 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deck
Noun
  • Shop bistro sets, conversation sets, and more options to fit a balcony, large patio, or deck.
    Rachel Trujillo, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2025
  • On floors where original windows could not meet modern standards, French balconies were introduced to flood the spaces with natural light and create a more inviting ambiance.
    David Nikel, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The thermal baths are also connected to a banquet room decorated with elaborate frescoes that was announced last spring.
    Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Pompeii: a dining room decorated with characters and subjects inspired by the Trojan war has emerged from the new excavations BBC News.
    Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • According to Josef, a preliminary investigation determined that the incident started inside the residence and continued outside onto the front porch of the home.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The rooftop balcony was built in lieu of a front porch because of the violence in the neighborhood, Williams said.
    Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The silver piece is adorned with a cross and the iconography of a chapel and is more than 1,000 years old, the museum said in a Jan. 15 Facebook post.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
  • The bathhouse, adorned with intricate mosaics and featuring hot, warm, and cold rooms, resembles a spa-like retreat, and could be the largest thermal complex found yet in a private residence in Pompeii.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Photo : Jemma Wild The Cliff Suite terrace overlooking the bush.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
  • When Jordan Williams purchased his diamond-in-the-rough Greenwich Village apartment, a 900-square-foot one-bedroom duplex with a massive terrace in Manhattan, his mother gave him some helpful advice: hire an interior designer.
    Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Earlier this month, a 32-year-old Greek man brought something remarkable to his local police station: a statue of a woman draped in flowing cloth, missing its arms and head.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The white marble sculpture, which is missing a head and arms, appears to depict a woman's torso draped in a loose dress or cloak.
    Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Razorbacks trimmed the MU lead to 12 on the back of a 6-0 run in the early minutes of the second half.
    Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The walls are trimmed in cinderblock to protect from flaming debris blowing up against the seam where wall meets ground.
    Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near deck

Cite this Entry

“Deck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deck. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

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