1
as in to brighten
to become glad or hopeful
cheer up—things are bound to get better
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
the general's speech cheered up the troops tremendously
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheer (up)
Verb
-
Sunshine Sean needs to lighten the mood and brighten the room.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
23 Sep. 2025 -
In Pynchon’s best works, his bleakness is brightened, in both senses—illuminated and made lighter—by the sweep of his vision and his affection for his fallible, foolhardy, well-meaning, wildly outmatched main characters.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
And then, through some combination of luck, good sense and determination, things began to look up.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
-
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Cheer (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheer%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share