festoon

verb

Definition of festoonnext
as in to adorn
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming for Valentine's Day the dance hall was festooned with a riot of red hearts and bow-wielding cupids

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of festoon This wasn’t the 2026 Miami of spotless Ubers and Waymos doing their thing on Brickell streets festooned with billion dollar developments. — Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026 Angine de Poitrine, the anonymous duo from Québec who are getting so popular that Google now festoons their search page with polka dots, made their late-night television debut on The Tonight Show on Monday. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026 Axl — just like any self-respecting rock star would — had festooned his wrists with myriad bracelets, and the bracelets had got caught in the lining of the sleeve of the jacket. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 The entrance of the famed Inn at Spanish Bay, in Northern California’s Pebble Beach, had been festooned with some of the world’s most exotic automobiles—swooned over by camera-toting adorers—just a few days prior during Monterey Car Week. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festoon
  1. adorn
  2. decorate
Verb
  • Hiding his Caesar cut under his signature New York Yankees cap and adorned with a glittery stack of gold chains, JAY-Z kept his setlist as tight as his concert attire of bulletproof vests.
    — Adelle Platon, VIBE.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For the closing set, according to a photo posted on X and various videos, the legendary rocker was lifted onto the stage while seated on a black throne adorned with skulls and topped with a black bat.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of adorn
Verb
  • After the last one is opened, use the set to bake cookies for Santa and decorate them on Christmas Eve, then take the extras along to your holiday gathering.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Rooms There are 93 rooms and suites—including two penthouses—decorated with plenty of personality.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decorate

Browse Nearby Words

festivity
festoon
festooned
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Festoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festoon. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on festoon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about festoon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All