buck up

verb

bucked up; bucking up; bucks up
Synonyms of buck upnext

intransitive verb

: to become encouraged : brace up

transitive verb

1
2
: to raise the morale of

Examples of buck up in a Sentence

buck up, kids, it's not so bad as you're making it out to be a surprise presidential visit to buck up the troops
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yet this same McNamara fully backed the U.S. ground-force commitment and was an architect of Operation Rolling Thunder,the sustained bombing campaign aimed at breaking Hanoi’s resolve—and bucking up Saigon’s—that began in March 1965 and would run for more than three years. Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 While waiting for help, stay bucked up inside your vehicle. Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025 Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Democrats dig in for shutdown to buck up demoralized voters’ Bibi at the White House: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back at the White House today, meeting with President Trump. Cate Martel, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025 Defense gonna have to buck up yet again. Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for buck up

Word History

Etymology

buck entry 2

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of buck up was in 1844

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buck%20up. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on buck up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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