1
as in to brighten
to become glad or hopeful
buck up, kids, it's not so bad as you're making it out to be
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
a surprise presidential visit to buck up the troops
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of buck up
And then, over the course of the six episodes, Julie does encourage him to buck up at a little bit.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2025
The outlook Going forward, will Brightline generate enough revenue to buck up its reserves and make a profit over the long term?
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
The small-town infrastructure was starting to buck up against NASCAR’s ascending popularity — something racing officials wanted to capitalize on by building state-of-the-art tracks out West.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buck up
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2025
The outlook Going forward, will Brightline generate enough revenue to buck up its reserves and make a profit over the long term?
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
The small-town infrastructure was starting to buck up against NASCAR’s ascending popularity — something racing officials wanted to capitalize on by building state-of-the-art tracks out West.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buck up
Verb
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Amid the infinity pools and sleek van transfers, careful touches of Bohol culture abound at South Palms Resort & Spa Panglao, from bold, handcrafted textiles and reclaimed wood in the rooms to classic Filipino dishes and heritage ingredients, which brighten the food and beverage options.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
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Article continues below Since then, the comet has brightened some 600-fold to magnitude 11, bright enough to be readily detected in amateur telescopes of 8 to 10-inch aperture.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those who noticed the earthquake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
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One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An 8–6 upset of the United States, fueled by 4⅔ scoreless innings from a pitcher who calls Colorado his current MLB home, is the kind of outcome that makes people look up the rules.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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Immediately someone cuts the music and everyone looks up.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The original 1935 film that inspired Gyllenhaal’s version also followed that vein.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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His name comes from the house elf in the Harry Potter books, inspired by his prominent ears.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This hunch was borne out when the astronomers found that, even though the globular clusters were languishing in an empty stretch of Perseus, they were surrounded by a halo of glowing matter — a telltale sign of a galaxy.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
5 Mar. 2026
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Ahead, shop our favorite bronzers for mature skin that deliver warmth, depth, and glow.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It can also be used as a bench, bearing up to 355 pounds.—
Caitlyn Martyn
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
11 Aug. 2025
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Harriet remembered there was something: inexpressibly affecting in the aspect of the frail little creature who had done such wonderful things, and who was able to bear up, with so bright an eye and so composed a countenance, under not only such a weight of sorrow, but such a prospect of solitude.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The race could revive a pandemic-era rivalry between Kiley and Pan, who tussled over vaccine and public health rules while serving in the state Legislature.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The Iran conflict has muddied expectations of imminent US Federal Reserve rate cuts, with rising oil prices reviving inflation fears and forcing investors to reassess how quickly the Fed can ease policy.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buck%20up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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