deck 1 of 2

noun

ˈdek How to pronounce deck (audio)
Definition of decknext
as in balcony
a flat roofless structure attached to a building the family usually ate on the deck on summer evenings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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deck

2 of 2

verb

as in to decorate
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming deck the halls with boughs of holly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deck different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of deck are adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When can adorn be used instead of deck?

In some situations, the words adorn and deck are roughly equivalent. However, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of deck?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When could decorate be used to replace deck?

The meanings of decorate and deck largely overlap; however, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is embellish a more appropriate choice than deck?

The synonyms embellish and deck are sometimes interchangeable, but embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

Where would garnish be a reasonable alternative to deck?

While the synonyms garnish and deck are close in meaning, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of deck?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

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 deck
Noun
From here the outdoor deck can be accessed, which has patio furniture and a BBQ. — New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2026 For others, the deck has been stacked against them for so long that the path to glory is more of a mirage than reality. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
In 2019, artist and activist Kate Bertash created her aptly named Adversarial Fashion clothing line decked with fake license plate numbers to inject junk data into ALPR databases. — IEEE Spectrum, 14 Sep. 2026 Fans decked in the team’s iconic red and carrying its flags lined the streets and grandstands, pushing and cheering their team on. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deck
  1. balcony
  2. decorate
  3. porch
  4. adorn
  5. terrace
  6. drape
  7. trim
Noun
  • Van Zuilen observed many of the objects directly from his balcony from the town of Heiloo in the Netherlands, while others required van Zuilen to take his telescopes further afield to avoid capturing treetops and farm buildings in his field of view.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • At the end of the hall is a door that leads to a balcony with seating for customers to read.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of balcony
Verb
  • You’re pointed to the hotel entrance by a series of discrete signs in gold lettering, where lifts take you to the beautiful 10th floor lobby decorated in cream and white and accented with simple, bold artworks, also in gold.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Clarins brand developed travel retail sets with boxes decorated uniquely for the city the traveler is in, highlighting moments of discovery.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of decorate
Noun
  • Skeletons stand as tall as roof lines, porches are engulfed in spider webs, and front yards turn into grave sites.
    — Michelle Mastro, Midwest Living, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The interior of the home measures 400 sq ft (37 sq m), and is accessed through the larger of the pair of porches.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of porch
Verb
  • The image could be found on T-shirts, hats, billboards, beer bottles, Christmas ornaments and even adorned the cover of several books written about the championship season.
    — Mark Long, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The exterior of the sculpture is adorned with synthetic braids, a fundamental material with Peacock, for whom braiding is a metaphor for relation, an embrace, irreducible intimacy.
    — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of adorn
Noun
  • As the day winds down, get cozy in the living room for a game of cards and a glass of South African wine, or watch the sun set from the stone terrace.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The owner’s cabin, cleverly positioned at the bow, opens to a forward terrace with a Jacuzzi.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrace
Verb
  • The skirt continued the black palette in a soft, satiny fabric with material draped at the hips for an exaggerated silhouette.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Tropical disturbance in the Gulf Coast Rain is expected to continue in central Florida, where a stalling frontal system is now draped.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of drape
Verb
  • San Diego won 4-3 on Tuesday night to avoid elimination and trim Milwaukee’s lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Rather than trimming that weight, Fukushima's lab asked whether anything needed to be worn at all.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of trim

Phrases Containing deck

Browse Nearby Words

decisiveness
deck
decked
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Cite this Entry

“Deck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deck. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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