Meaning & use
gussy up
Last updated
Meanings
verbphrasal verbAmericaninformal
To dress yourself or another person in fancier clothes than usual, especially for a special occasion.
Grammar: Takes an object, or a reflexive pronoun: she gussied herself up; also used with get: get gussied up.
Patterns
- gussy yourself up
- gussy someone up
- get gussied up
She gussied herself up for the wedding.
He got all gussied up in a bow tie and polished shoes.
They gussied the kids up for the family photo.
verbphrasal verbAmericaninformalfigurative
To make something look more attractive or impressive, often with decoration that adds little real value.
Grammar: Takes an object and can be split: gussy up the report or gussy the report up.
Patterns
- gussy something up
- gussy up something
They gussied up the old diner with fresh paint and neon signs.
I would not gussy up the report; just state the facts.
He tried to gussy the plain recipe up with expensive spices.
Word forms
| third person singular | gussies up |
|---|---|
| past tense | gussied up |
| past participle | gussied up |
| -ing form | gussying up |
Common combinations
- get gussied up
- We all got gussied up for the dance.
- gussy up the room
- A few flowers will gussy up the room.
- gussy yourself up
- She gussied herself up before the interview.
- all gussied up
- The dog was all gussied up in a bow.
- gussy up the menu
- The restaurant gussied up its menu with fancy words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dress up
- Dress up is neutral and everyday, while gussy up sounds playful and suggests a slightly showy effort.
- spruce up
- Spruce up usually means to make something neat and tidy, whereas gussy up stresses adding decoration.
- doll up
- Doll up is similarly informal but focuses on making a person look pretty, often with makeup.
- fancy up
- Fancy up is a close casual equivalent, but gussy up has more of a regional American flavor.
Opposites
Word family
- gussied-up adjective
- dressed or decorated more elaborately than usual
- gussy verb
- the same verb used in some regions without the particle
Commonly confused: gussy up or dress up?
gussy up vs dress up
Dress up is neutral and works in any register, while gussy up is humorous and mostly American.
Practice
We decided to ______ the plain office with plants and bright posters.
Choose one answer.
Gussy up means to make something more attractive with decoration. The other phrasal verbs do not describe improving how a place looks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gussy up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.