cheer up

phrasal verb

cheered up; cheering up; cheers up

1

: to make (someone) happier

We tried our best to cheer the children up.

2

: to become happier

They cheered up at the mention of her name.

Cheer up—things will get better!

3

: to make (something) more cheerful or pleasant

Bright colors really cheer up a room.

Examples of cheer up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the past few years, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kelsea Ballerini, Ed Sheeran, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Blink-182, Maggie Rogers and many others have been beneficiaries of adorable furry deliveries to cheer up artists and crews. —Steve Knopper, Billboard, 9 June 2025

Each storage unit is dotted with vintage-style blossoms to cheer up your fridge and match with other colorful pieces from the collection. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2025

But cheer up: Once everything shakes out, maybe the Trojans and Irish will wind up in the same Super League division. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 30 May 2025

At one point, Geoff decided to reprogram Ian’s foot switch, in part to cheer up Molly Holm, one of Ian’s nurses since 2008, who had bruised her ribs slipping on ice. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025

Rolle-McNeil remembers hugging him goodbye, and then Jak stopped to cheer up his cousin on his way out the door. —Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2025

There’s a touching moment in this episode when Matty tries to cheer up Olympia, who’s worried this case is slipping away from her — along with her career. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025

Doctors speculated that the elderly might be rejuvenated with the blood of children; that melancholics could be cheered up using the blood of happy souls; and that clashing couples might resolve their differences by exchanging blood. —Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025

As for Mambo, caretakers hope the fish will cheer up for good once construction wraps up and visitors are allowed to return this summer. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for cheer up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup