perked (up)

verb

past tense of perk (up)
1
as in brightened
to become glad or hopeful we perked up once the sun came out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lifted
to move from a lower to a higher place or position the dog tilts her head and perks up her ears whenever someone speaks to her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perked (up)
  1. brightened
  2. lifted
  3. looked up
  4. raised
  5. elevated
Verb
  • Kristin opened her mouth a little, not to speak, and the angel brightened, and the man’s voice got farther away.
    — Gabriel Winslow-Yost, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • Much of the route ran beside a long wall covered in street art, which brightened the otherwise industrial surroundings.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of brightened
Verb
  • Brooks Lee's two-run single in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • After the leap and slap, Yan stood straight up with his feet together and lifted both arms over his head.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of lifted
Verb
  • But as Melendrez turned to leave empty-handed, Chin looked up from behind the counter, smiled, and waved him back.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Noe and his sons looked up at the sky to watch five pelicans fly northward, away from the Gulf.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of looked up
Verb
  • Multiple people familiar with the matter said the crown prince raised concerns about plans for potential strikes on Iran during the call.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The union has also raised questions about Cázares' role as fiscal advisor, pointing to her previous work overseeing other financially troubled school districts and questioning her compensation.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of raised
Verb
  • Instead of simply reclining backward, the seat moves forward and up, so your legs and back are slightly elevated in a more comfortable position.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Even something as simple as seeing avocado prepared in an unfamiliar way showed him that what his own family already did well could still be elevated through a different perspective.
    — Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of elevated
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

perk
perked (up)
perkily
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Perked (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perked%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 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 nurture

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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All