Meaning & use
zhuzh
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Meanings
verbtransitiveinformalslang
To make something look smarter, livelier or more stylish by adding a few small touches.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually up: zhuzh up the room, or zhuzh your hair.
Patterns
- zhuzh something up
- zhuzh something with something
She zhuzhed up the plain salad with toasted nuts and fresh herbs.
I only need ten minutes to zhuzh my hair before dinner.
They zhuzhed the old sofa with brightly colored cushions.
nounsingularinformalslang
A quick bit of styling or decoration that gives something a livelier look.
Grammar: Almost always with a: give it a zhuzh.
Patterns
- give something a zhuzh
The hallway just needs a little zhuzh to feel welcoming.
The stylist gave her curls a quick zhuzh.
With a fresh coat of paint, the shop got a much-needed zhuzh.
Word forms
| third person singular | zhuzhes |
|---|---|
| past tense | zhuzhed |
| past participle | zhuzhed |
| -ing form | zhuzhing |
Common combinations
- zhuzh up a room
- We zhuzhed up the living room before the guests arrived.
- zhuzh up an outfit
- A bold scarf can zhuzh up a plain outfit.
- zhuzh your hair
- She zhuzhed her hair with a little wax.
- zhuzh up a dish
- A squeeze of lime will zhuzh up this soup.
- give it a zhuzh
- The website is fine, but it needs a zhuzh.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spruce up
- Spruce up suggests making something neat and tidy, while zhuzh is about adding style and flair.
- jazz up
- Jazz up means adding excitement or color to something dull, and it is a close match, though zhuzh feels lighter and more playful.
- freshen up
- Freshen up is about making a person or place feel clean and refreshed, rather than stylish.
- tart up
- Tart up is British informal and can sound mildly negative, suggesting a flashy or cheap makeover, whereas zhuzh is neutral and playful.
Word family
- zhuzh up verb
- the most common phrasal form, meaning to improve the look of something
- zhoosh verb
- a variant spelling of zhuzh
- zhuzhed adjective
- made to look livelier or more stylish with small touches
Commonly confused: zhuzh or shush?
zhuzh vs shush
Shush tells someone to be quiet and is pronounced with a sh sound. Zhuzh, with a zh sound like the s in measure, is about styling things.
Practice
With a few cushions and a plant, she managed to ___ the plain living room.
Choose one answer.
To zhuzh something up is to give it a livelier look with small touches. Tearing down, emptying out and pulling apart all describe removing or destroying things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “zhuzh”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.