decorate

verb

DEK-uh-rayt/ˈdɛkəɹeɪt/

Formsdecorates, decorating, decorated

4 meanings of decorate

1
verbtransitive
To add pretty things to a place or object to make it look nicer.
Like putting stickers and ribbons on a plain box to make it look special.
They decorate the hall with balloons for every birthday party.
She decorated the cake with bright icing flowers.
Similaradorn, ornament, embellish, festoon, trim
Note
2
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make the inside of a room or home look better, often with paint or wallpaper.
Like dressing up a plain room so it feels new and welcoming.
We plan to decorate the living room this weekend.
She decorated her new apartment in soft blue tones.
Similarrefurbish, paint, paper
Note
3
verbtransitive
To give someone a medal or ribbon to honor what they did.
Like getting a gold star on your work to show you did something great.
The mayor will decorate the firefighters for their bravery.
The army decorated her with a medal after the rescue.
Similarhonor
Note
4
verbtransitive
To add extra code to a function so that it does something more.
Like adding a new attachment to a tool so it can do an extra job.
Programmers often decorate a function to add logging.
She decorated the method so it would check the user's input first.
Similarwrap
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin decorāre, meaning "to adorn or honor," which came into Middle English as decorat ("adorned").