dress-up
dress-up — 名詞
1. An activity, especially for children aged three to ten, in which you put on cost
裝扮遊戲
兒童穿上戲服扮演角色的活動
An activity, especially for children aged three to ten, in which you put on costumes, fancy clothes, or accessories and pretend to be a different person, animal, or character — for example, a cowboy, a princess, or a superhero.
The kindergarten classroom had a big box of old hats and jackets for dress-up.
幼稚園教室裡有一個大箱子，裡面裝滿了舊帽子和舊外套，供孩子們玩裝扮遊戲。
collocation: dress-up box / basket / corner
Sumin spent the whole rainy afternoon doing dress-up with her cousins.
Sumin 和表姐妹們玩了一整個下雨的下午，玩裝扮遊戲。
collocation: do / play dress-up
Romi's son loves dress-up — last week he was a firefighter, and today he is a dinosaur.
Romi 的兒子很喜歡裝扮遊戲——上週他當消防員，今天他當恐龍。
The toy shop sells dress-up sets with capes, masks, and plastic swords.
那家玩具店賣裝扮遊戲套組，裡面有披風、面具和塑膠劍。
On rainy days the twins would play dress-up in their grandmother's old silk scarves and jewellery.
下雨天，這對雙胞胎會穿著外婆的舊絲巾和首飾玩裝扮遊戲。
- costume play
more specific; refers to acting in character, not just wearing the clothes
- make-believe
broader; includes imaginary scenarios without costumes
- role-play
more structured; often used in classroom or therapy settings
文法句型
play dress-up
a dress-up game / set / box
用法筆記
Used mostly in the context of children's imaginative play. The hyphenated noun 'dress-up' is different from the two-word verb phrase 'dress up' (to put on formal clothes). Can be uncountable ('they love dress-up') or countable ('a fun dress-up').
常見錯誤
dress-up — 片語動詞
1. To put on smarter or more formal clothing than what you normally wear, typically
盛裝打扮
穿上比平時更正式的衣服
To put on smarter or more formal clothing than what you normally wear, typically for a wedding, a party, a job interview, a dinner at a nice restaurant, or another event where a polished appearance is expected.
All the guests dressed up for the wedding in suits and long gowns.
所有賓客都穿上西裝和長禮服，盛裝打扮參加婚禮。
dress up + for [occasion]
We do not need to dress up — it is just a casual barbecue in the park.
我們不需要盛裝打扮——那只不過是在公園吃個輕鬆的烤肉。
negative: don't need to / don't have to dress up
Megan always dresses up when she goes to the theatre in the city.
Megan 去城裡看戲時總會盛裝打扮。
You should dress up a little for the interview — first impressions matter.
面試時你應該稍微盛裝打扮一下——第一印象很重要。
Ravindra dressed up in a dark suit and a red silk tie for the ceremony.
Ravindra 穿上深色西裝並繫上紅絲質領帶，盛裝出席典禮。
- put on formal attire
more formal and literal; describes the action without the idiomatic flavour
- smarten up
British; suggests making one's existing clothes neater rather than fully changing
- get dolled up
informal; used especially for women wearing makeup and glamorous clothes
- dress down
to wear very casual clothes, sometimes allowed at work on a designated day
文法句型
dress up for [occasion]
dress up in [clothing]
dress up as [person/role] (formal)
用法筆記
Opposite: 'dress down' (to wear casual clothes). Frequently appears in the continuous form: 'they are getting dressed up.' Can also be used in commands: 'Dress up — it is a fancy restaurant.'
常見錯誤
2. To put on a costume or unusual clothing in order to pretend you are someone or s
化裝打扮
穿上戲服扮演特定角色
To put on a costume or unusual clothing in order to pretend you are someone or something else, done for fun at Halloween, fancy-dress parties, school plays, or carnival celebrations.
The children dressed up as pirates and searched the backyard for treasure.
孩子們打扮成海盜，在後院尋找寶藏。
dress up as [character/role]
For Halloween, Chidi dressed up as a friendly ghost using a white sheet with eye holes.
萬聖節時，Chidi 用一張挖了洞的白床單打扮成友善的鬼魂。
The actors dressed up in heavy eighteenth-century gowns for the historical play.
演員們穿上厚重的十八世紀禮服，參加歷史劇的演出。
Yael dressed up as a doctor and spent the afternoon checking her teddy bears with a toy stethoscope.
Yael 打扮成醫生，用玩具聽診器幫她的泰迪熊檢查了一個下午。
My little brother loves to dress up in his dinosaur costume and roar at everyone.
我的弟弟很喜歡穿上恐龍裝，對每個人吼叫。
- put on a costume
more literal; focuses on the garment rather than the pretending
- masquerade
formal or literary; can mean either to wear a disguise or to pretend falsely
- disguise oneself
implies hiding your identity, not just dressing up for fun
文法句型
dress up as [character / animal / profession]
dress up in [costume / clothing]
用法筆記
Nearly always followed by 'as' plus a character, profession, or type ('dress up as a clown'). The preposition 'in' introduces the specific clothing or fabric ('dress up in a velvet cape'). For the adult social-meaning equivalent (wearing formal clothes), see the separate sense phrasal verb/1.
常見錯誤
3. To give something a more impressive or appealing description or appearance than
粉飾
包裝事物使其看起來更好
To give something a more impressive or appealing description or appearance than it genuinely deserves, often by choosing flattering language or decorative details — for instance, calling an ordinary dish a 'gourmet creation' or rebranding a fee increase as a 'service adjustment.'
The report dressed up the company losses as a temporary financial adjustment.
這份報告把公司的虧損粉飾成暫時的財務調整。
dress up + [noun] + as + [noun]
A clever advertisement can dress up a plain cereal as a nutritious breakfast for athletes.
一則巧妙的廣告可以把平淡的麥片粉飾成運動員的營養早餐。
The politician tried to dress up the tax increase as an investment in future schools.
那位政治人物試圖將增稅粉飾成對未來學校的投資。
The Chen family dressed up the old sofa by adding new cushions and a decorative throw blanket.
Chen 一家加了新靠墊和一條裝飾毯，把舊沙發佈置得煥然一新。
Emre's speech dressed up a simple budget report as a bold vision for the company's future.
Emre 的演說把一份簡單的預算報告粉飾成公司未來的宏偉願景。
- glamorize
focuses on making something seem more exciting or attractive
- embellish
can be neutral or negative; adding true but minor details or exaggerating
- sugar-coat
informal; making bad news seem less unpleasant
- whitewash
strongly negative; hiding serious problems or crimes
- expose
to reveal the truth about something that was dressed up
- strip down
to remove decorative additions and show the plain facts
文法句型
dress up + [noun] + as + [noun]
dress up + [noun] + to-infinitive
be dressed up as/like [something]
用法筆記
Has a mildly negative connotation — it suggests the presentation is misleading or hides the truth. Compare 'embellish' (add decorative details, not necessarily dishonest) and 'sugar-coat' (make unpleasant news easier to hear). The physical-improvement sense ('dress up a room with flowers') is less negative.
常見錯誤
dress-up — 動詞
1. To put someone, especially a child or someone who cannot dress themselves, into
給…盛裝打扮
幫某人穿上正式服裝
To put someone, especially a child or someone who cannot dress themselves, into their finest or most formal clothing for a special occasion such as a wedding, a school concert, or a holiday gathering.
João dressed up his little niece in a white dress for her first piano recital.
João 幫他的小姪女穿上白色洋裝，盛裝打扮參加她的第一場鋼琴演奏會。
dress up + person + in + clothing
Anya dressed up her son in a bow tie and a tiny jacket for the family photo.
Anya 幫兒子穿上蝴蝶結領結和小西裝外套，盛裝打扮拍全家福。
The hotel staff dressed up the ballroom with gold tablecloths and crystal chandeliers.
飯店工作人員用金色桌布和水晶吊燈將宴會廳裝飾得富麗堂皇。
The children were all dressed up in new clothes for the New Year's celebration.
孩子們都穿上了新衣服，盛裝打扮迎接新年的慶祝活動。
Stefan dressed up the garden with fairy lights and paper lanterns for the party.
Stefan 用仙女燈和紙燈籠把花園佈置得漂漂亮亮，準備開派對。
- strip down
to remove formal or decorative elements
- dress down
to make someone wear casual clothes instead of formal ones
文法句型
dress + [person] + up
dress up + [person]
dress + [place/thing] + up
be dressed up
用法筆記
Distinguish from the intransitive phrasal verb 'dress up' (sense phrasal verb/1), where the subject dresses themselves. In this verb sense, the subject acts on someone or something else. The object can be a person ('dress the children up') or a physical space/thing ('dress up the room').
常見錯誤
2. To put someone in clothing that matches a specific character, job, animal, or ti
給…化裝
幫某人穿上特定角色的服裝
To put someone in clothing that matches a specific character, job, animal, or time period, often for a party, a school play, Halloween, or a themed celebration.
The teacher dressed up the children as farm animals for the school play.
老師把孩子們打扮成農場動物，參加學校的話劇表演。
dress up + person + as + role
Iker dressed up his little brother as a robot using cardboard boxes and aluminium foil.
Iker 用紙箱和鋁箔紙把弟弟打扮成機器人。
The museum guide was dressed up in colonial clothing to show visitors how people lived in the 1700s.
博物館導覽員穿著殖民地時期的服裝，向遊客展示十八世紀的人們如何生活。
For the themed party the host dressed up every guest as a character from the 1920s.
為了配合主題派對，主人把每位賓客都打扮成一九二○年代的角色。
Putri dressed up her daughter as a bumblebee with yellow and black striped tights.
Putri 讓女兒穿上黃黑條紋緊身褲，打扮成一隻大黃蜂。
文法句型
dress + [person] + up + as + [role]
dress + [person] + up + in + [costume]
be dressed up as [character]
用法筆記
The preposition 'as' introduces the role or character being portrayed ('as a princess'), while 'in' introduces the specific clothing ('in a velvet cape'). The passive form ('the children were dressed up as pirates') is very common. For the intransitive equivalent (dressing oneself in a costume), see phrasal verb/2.
常見錯誤
3. To change the appearance, description, or packaging of something so that it look
美化；包裝
使某物看起來比實際更好
To change the appearance, description, or packaging of something so that it looks or sounds better, more exciting, or more valuable than it really is, often in a way that is slightly dishonest.
The chef dressed up a simple vegetable soup by adding edible flowers and gold leaf.
主廚在簡單的蔬菜湯上加了食用花和金箔，把這道湯變得很美觀。
Real estate agents often dress up a dark apartment with mirrors to make it feel larger.
房仲經常用鏡子來裝點陰暗的公寓，讓它感覺更寬敞。
The restaurant dressed up ordinary pasta by giving it a French name on the menu.
那間餐廳把普通的義大利麵換上法文名稱，讓它看起來更高級。
Big companies dress up their old products as new inventions with fresh labels and higher prices.
大公司把舊產品換上新標籤和更高價格，包裝成新發明。
Layla dressed up her short story with fancy vocabulary to impress her teacher.
Layla 用華麗的詞彙裝點她的小說，希望能讓老師印象深刻。
文法句型
dress + [noun] + up
dress up + [noun]
dress + [noun] + up + as + [noun]
用法筆記
Overlaps partially with phrasal verb/3 (MAKE SEEM BETTER). The difference is subtle: this verb sense can include physical decorating (adding flowers, mirrors) whereas the phrasal verb sense is almost entirely about abstract presentation (language, labels, framing). Both can carry a critical tone.