chirk (up)

verb

ˈchərk How to pronounce chirk (up) (audio)
Definition of chirk (up)next
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose presented her with an inspirational book to chirk her up during her prolonged hospitalization

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chirk (up)
  1. encourage
  2. inspire
Verb
  • Boundless San Francisco, which encourages out-of-the-box ideas, echoes the venture capital ethos, Crankstart Chief Executive Officer Missy Narula said.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The communication drills are intended to encourage first-line fighters to be more self-reliant and effective in battle, experts say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of encourage
Verb
  • The announcement of a new investor without any details about who that investor is will also not exactly inspire confidence.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The character at its center is Bret Easton Ellis — played here by Igby Rigney, who does look eerily like the author’s high-school yearbook photo — and the book and series are largely inspired by Ellis’s real-life senior year at the Buckley School.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of inspire
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

chirks (up)
chirk (up)
chiropodist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chirk (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chirk%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All