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

THe top of the WiiM Sound Lite features a smooth glass control panel with touch controls that light up as soon as your finger approaches. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Everyone would join in and your face would light up. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026

Several city landmarks will light up in red, green and black Monday night in recognition of MLK Day. —Allen Devlin, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026

These storms trigger interactions between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the sun, resulting in the stunning colors that light up the sky. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for light up

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