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

Afterward, the female looked bored, and then, perking up at the grunts of nearby warthogs, hungry. —Marcia Desanctis, airmail.news, 1 Feb. 2025

Billy, a French poodle who lives in the penthouse in my apartment building, enjoys watching CNN, falling asleep during the lengthy commercials, but perking up again for the news. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2025

Final Thoughts: Staging As A Market Strategy The Manhattan market is beginning to perk up after a few quiet years, but buyers are as picky as ever. —John Walkup, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Once the lettuce perks up, give it a spin in the salad spinner to remove excess moisture. —Alyssa Sybertz, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for perk up

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