decorate
verb
Simple meaning
Award a mark of honor, such as a medal.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehkeraytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛkɚeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Award a mark of honor, such as a medal, to
“He was decorated for his services in the military.”
ambitransitive
To improve the appearance of an interior of, as a house, room, or office.
transitive
To honor by providing a medal, ribbon, or other adornment.
transitive
To furnish with decorations.
By putting paint or wallpaper on the walls.
By adding adornments to the interior space.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Award a mark of honor, such as a medal, to
Used this way, decorate is a common word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He was decorated for his services in the military.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “decorate for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: decorate for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use decorate
- “He was decorated for his services in the military.”verb
- “Decorate the room for the party.”verb
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Word Family
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.