light up

phrasal verb

1

of a light : to become lit : to begin shining

All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.

—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasure

His eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.

2

informal, of a telephone : to show a light indicating that someone is calling

When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.

3

informal : to light a cigarette

I can't wait to light up after work.

Examples of light up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This little senior guy named Max can't wait to light up your life. —Providence Journal, The Providence Journal, 21 Feb. 2026

Bob was truly one of a kind, his presence could light up any room, and his laughter was contagious. —Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 18 Feb. 2026

Fireworks light up skies in Vietnam Entertainers in Vietnam sang at an outdoor countdown event before multiple fireworks shows at several cities in the Southeast Asian nation, where the festival is called Tet. —Ken Moritsugu, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026

The same brain regions involved in physical pain light up during emotional distress, such as social exclusion and loneliness, according to an fMRI study. —Kyra Dahring, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for light up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup