cheering (up)

verb

present participle of cheer (up)
1
as in brightening
to become glad or hopeful cheer up—things are bound to get better

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inspiring
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 cheering (up)
  1. brightening
  2. inspiring
  3. looking up
  4. encouraging
  5. glowing
  6. bearing up
Verb
  • From setting up special meals to just brightening days with smiles and genuine care, the staff here lift the already luxury experience to the next level.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Here, the exclusive tech is enhanced with firming peptides, caffeine, and marine ferment, plus brightening kakudu plum extract.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of brightening
Verb
  • Chris Lee, a prototypical new-school executive, wants to wield influence by inspiring his charges, while Chet Hudson, an oil rig supervisor, likens his new job to breaking horses.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In a moment when the average American is often priced out of awe-inspiring sights and experiences, DC, is supposed to be a rare exception.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of inspiring
Verb
  • The iPhone Duo can run two apps on screen at the same time, which was useful for situations that involved looking up information or viewing content in multiple apps.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Now 23 himself, Miller has two 20-year-old rookies, Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson, looking up to him.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of looking up
Verb
  • Anti-Trumpers in Wichita are encouraging folks to attend the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action on Saturday as a sort of rally warm-up.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But in his statement Hannan argued labor and environmentalists aren’t stopping development, just encouraging it be done safely.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • For the best views look 40-90 degrees away from the radiant, where the glowing trains left in the wake of the fast-moving meteors will be at their longest.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But the phone’s first public testers have given glowing feedback.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of glowing
Verb
  • 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
Definition of bearing up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cheering
cheering (up)
cheerleader
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cheering (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheering%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All