perk up

phrasal verb

perked up; perking up; perks up

informal

1

: to become more lively or cheerful or to make (someone) more lively or cheerful

We perked up when we heard the good news.

The good news perked everyone up.

2

: to make (something) fresher or more appealing

The new paint job really perked up the room.

3

chiefly US, of an animal's ears : to be lifted in a quick and alert way

The dog's ears perked up.

—often used figuratively of a person

My ears perked up when I heard my name mentioned.

Examples of perk up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet when tech CEOs do the same thing, people tend to perk up. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 30 May 2025

His play started to perk up, and he’s been a key player for the club in six Calder Cup games. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 May 2025

Race to the next hot thing The small-cap Russell 2000 is perking up and just broke above a six-month downtrend last week. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 9 June 2025

When Walter perks up and invites him to join them at a restaurant in a few days, Stan accepts. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 June 2025

Rhymes for perk up

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