1 C1 idiomatic informal
To dress oneself or someone else in fancy or elaborate clothes.
"She gussied herself up for the awards ceremony."
separable
gussie up
C1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
A variant form of 'gussy up': to dress or decorate something elaborately and showily.
In plain English
To make yourself or something look fancy or special by adding nice clothes or decorations.
What does "gussie up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To decorate or improve the appearance of a place or object in a showy way.
"They gussied up the old shop front with new paint and window boxes."
separable
Usage tip
Variant spelling of 'gussy up', primarily North American. Less common than 'gussy up'. See 'gussy up' for full usage notes.
Words that pair with "gussie up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
outfit room presentation appearance party venue
How to conjugate "gussie up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
gussie up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gussies up
he/she/it
Past simple
gussied up
yesterday
Past participle
gussied up
have + pp
-ing form
gussiing up
continuous
Hear "gussie up" in the wild
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