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
-
The sleek and simple decor brightens each room, and floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of the water.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026 -
Queen Camilla brightened her wardrobe in a springtime Fiona Clare blue dress for a garden party at Hillsborough Castle on Wednesday in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Responding to comments, asking for feedback, and giving shout-outs to active viewers fosters a sense of community and encourages continued engagement.—
Adam Rumanek,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2026
-
Techniques such as reinforcement learning from human feedback encourage the model toward preferred responses.—
Sandeep Shilawat,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
While Kendrick Lamar was conquering the hip-hop world, Rashad was honing an introspective style inspired by Southern hip-hop pioneers like Lil Wayne and OutKast.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
And, if bright white pants aren’t your thing, keep reading for off-white styles inspired by Martha Stewart and Joanna Gaines.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
People look up at it, then go back to their meals and conversations, as if momentarily distracted by the clitter-clatter of an errant fork.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Use your walls when cabinets are tight When cabinet space runs out, look up.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 2026
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 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
