Phrasal Verb – Dress up.
To put on special clothes to look like someone or something else.
It’s the end of October. Your neighbour’s kids are wearing pointy hats, your colleague has fake blood on his shirt, and your best friend has just asked the question every Brit hears at this time of year: “So, what are you going as?” Time to dress up.
Two Meanings of “Dress Up”
- To wear a costume: you put on special clothes to look like someone or something else. “He dressed up as a vampire for the Halloween party.”
- To wear smart clothes: you wear nicer clothes than usual for a special occasion. “You don’t need to dress up, it’s just a barbecue.”
The context nearly always makes it clear. At Halloween, it’s costumes. Before a wedding or a job interview, it’s your best clothes.
How to Use It
- dress up as + a person or thing: “I’m dressing up as a witch.”
- dress up in + clothes: “The kids dressed up in their mum’s old clothes.”
- dress up for + an event: “Everyone dressed up for the office party.”
- dress someone up: you can dress up another person (or a very patient pet): “We dressed the dog up as a pumpkin.”
- dressed up (adjective): “Why are you all dressed up? Going somewhere nice?”
Don’t mix it up with get dressed, which just means putting on your normal clothes: “I got dressed and went to work.” And watch out for dress down, the opposite: wearing more casual clothes than usual. Lots of British offices have a “dress-down Friday”.
Fancy Dress or Costume Party?
In Britain, a party where everyone wears costumes is a fancy dress party. In America, it’s a costume party. Brits also ask “What are you going as?”, which simply means “What costume are you wearing?”
And there’s a lovely British phrase for when you’ve made the effort but the plans fall through: all dressed up and nowhere to go.
Example:
- “We’re dressing up as witches this year!”
- “Do I need to dress up for the interview, or is smart-casual fine?”
- “My little brother dressed up as a pumpkin and couldn’t get through the door.”
- “It’s a fancy dress party, so everyone has to dress up.”
Getting ready for 31 October? See our Halloween vocabulary with a labelled photo, from jack-o’-lantern to trick or treat. Or try another phrasal verb: show off, reach out or phrasal verbs for your daily routine.
Learn More
Look it upDress up – Cambridge DictionaryCambridge DictionaryWhat is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with 1 or 2 small words. These small words are particles. A particle can be a preposition or adverb. The phrasal verb has a different meaning from the verb alone because the particle changes the meaning of the verb.
Frequently Asked Questions
It has two meanings. It can mean to put on a costume to look like someone or something else (“dress up as a witch”), or to wear smarter clothes than usual for a special occasion (“dress up for a wedding”).
“Get dressed” means putting on your normal clothes, for example in the morning. “Dress up” means wearing a costume or something smarter than usual.
“Dress down”, which means wearing more casual clothes than usual. Many offices have a “dress-down Friday”.
Test Yourself
🎃 More Halloween English: 10 Halloween idioms · Halloween vocabulary · a skeleton in the cupboard · give someone the creeps · jump out of your skin · a ghost town
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