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art up

C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

Add artistic decorations or design to something to make it look fancier or more creative.

Literal meaning: To fill something up with art.

Meanings

1 C1 informal

To add artistic decoration or design to something, often to make it look more appealing or stylish.

"The marketing team artted up the annual report with full-colour infographics."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Relatively uncommon. Used in design, advertising, and publishing contexts. Can carry a slightly dismissive connotation — suggesting that the artistic additions are superficial rather than substantive. British English usage.

Commonly used with

cover design poster document presentation packaging

Forms

Base
art up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
arts up
he/she/it
Past simple
arted up
yesterday
Past participle
arted up
have + pp
-ing form
arting up
continuous

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