spruce up
phrasal verb
Did you know?
titivate, spruce up, smarten up, or spiff up?
Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive." Titivate often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire ("titivate the costume with sequins and other accessories"), but it can also be used figuratively (as in "titivating the script for Broadway"). Spruce up is sometimes used for cosmetic changes or renovations that give the appearance of newness ("spruce up the house with new shutters and fresh paint before trying to sell it"). Smarten up and spiff up both mean to improve in appearance often by making more neat or stylish ("the tailor smartened up the suit with minor alterations"; "he needed some time to spiff himself up for the party"). The origins of titivate are uncertain, but it may have been formed from the English words tidy and renovate.
Examples of spruce up in a Sentence
Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Reserve a small amount for a can of paint in a vivid color to spruce up the cabinets.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
Finally, Oklahoma is getting spruced up for the 100th anniversary of Route 66, with the state investing more than $82 million invested in its 400-mile stretch of the iconic road.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Apple has also spruced up the Apple Games app, adding in-game events, a wider game library, and a new game overlay for settings adjustments without leaving the game.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spruce up
Cite this Entry
“Spruce up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spruce%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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