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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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of buck up
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
What’s continued to set the Fosters apart is their work bucking up evacuees and neighbors.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
But to do that, the Coast Guard needs to buck up, build, and then advocate for an aviation strategy that makes few, if any, compromises.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
An Amazon search currently shows me options from seven bucks up to a hundred.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for buck up
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
What’s continued to set the Fosters apart is their work bucking up evacuees and neighbors.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
But to do that, the Coast Guard needs to buck up, build, and then advocate for an aviation strategy that makes few, if any, compromises.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
An Amazon search currently shows me options from seven bucks up to a hundred.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for buck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buck up
Verb
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Jon Clark’s no-place-to-hide lighting unnervingly brightens Beckett’s shadowy world but without losing its sense of dread, allowing both light and dark at the end of this infinite tunnel.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
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The refreshing feel is perfect for depuffing and brightening tired eyes.—
L. Daniela Alvarez,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The resort's Star Camp kids club encourages youngsters to be stewards of the land and sea, emphasizing sustainable initiatives such as recycling and ocean ecology.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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In honor of their service and selfness, Hobbs has ordered all state buildings to be at half-staff the days of their burials and encourages individuals, organizations and businesses to participate in the tribute.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And then, through some combination of luck, good sense and determination, things began to look up.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
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Before, when Joyce would take Jose to a Minnesota Loons soccer game, the child would hyperfocus on the field, rarely looking up to notice the crowd around him.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Designs are inspired by Bad Bunny's iconography, featuring cultural symbols like pavas (traditional hats worn by rural sugarcane farmers) and Monobloc chairs seen in everyday Puerto Rican life in backyards across the island—and featured on the cover of Debí Tirar Más Fotos.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
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There is such a rich world of drag designers and drag artists that are just creating beautiful pieces and inspiring fashion.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Best case is glowing reviews and great buzz buoy the film’s relevance among moviegoers for one week after another.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
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In videos shared to the meteor society and to local TV outlets, the satellite’s breakup appeared dramatic but serene, moving slowly across the sky and trailing glowing fragments for several seconds.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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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Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Iñárritu has revived his debut film, Amores Perros, as an immersive installation for its 25th anniversary.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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The president revived his MFN order in May after failing to implement it in his first term.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Buck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buck%20up. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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