1
as in brightening
to become glad or hopeful
we perked up once the sun came out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lifting
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 perking (up)
Verb
-
With sisters that specialize in this ilk of blonde, Elizabeth Olsen's beige old money is broken up only by some brightening highlights within her wispy bangs.—
Calin Van Paris,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026 -
The nurturing Moon comforts therapeutic Chiron, brightening your 5th House of Amusement — this is your moment to attempt a new way of expressing yourself without judging yourself.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday afternoon, Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout, lifting the Avalanche to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Wild in their final meeting of the regular season.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone with a functioning pair of corneas can see that the San Francisco 49ers are currently looking up at the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West pecking order.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The length of the cold stratification process varies by species, so Phillips recommends looking up each plant’s specific chilling requirement and planning accordingly.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are dangers that the entire global supply chain could be upended, raising costs for businesses and their customers.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Many young people in China complain that the cost of raising children is too high and that job prospects are too low.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The driver switches the radio silent, the world glowing around them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The reports from the back fields were immediately glowing.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than having cluttered and mismatched products taking up precious space, Hamid recommends unifying products.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Parking and taking up numerous spots is obviously an issue.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hegseth apparently delighted in dispensing death and elevating and glorifying war.—
Casey Ryan Kelly,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The investment is a surprising move for Lee, who focuses his content on mom-and-pop restaurants, usually with an aim of elevating them to his audience.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 Mar. 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
“Perking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perking%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
