cheer up
phrasal verb·3 senses·particle up
Meanings
Become happier or less miserable
Why “up”? More of something is higher. Quantity, intensity and speed all rise.
“She cheered up the moment she saw the dog.”
“The child cheered up when the sun came out.”
“I always cheer up on a sunny day.”
Make someone else happier
“I bought flowers to cheer her up.”
“His joke cheered up the whole room.”
“Let's visit them and cheer them up.”
(imperative)Stop being sad; used as encouragement
“Cheer up. We can fix this problem.”
“She told him to cheer up after the bad news.”
“Oh, cheer up! You look so sad.”
Common mistake
Cheer up you!
Cheer up! / I'll cheer you up.
Cheer up stands alone; with a pronoun it goes in the middle: cheer you up.
Natural collocations
The word partners “cheer up” most often appears with — learn the phrase, not just the verb.
In conversation
I failed the test.
Cheer up — you can retake it next month.
Test yourself
“She cheered up the moment she saw the dog.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
back up
Same up pattern: increase
Make a digital copy of data as a safeguard; Support someone's claim, story or position; Move backward along the same path; (of traffic or water) accumulate because flow is blocked
beef up
Same up pattern: increase
Strengthen or reinforce
blow up
Same up pattern: increase
Explode or be destroyed by an explosion; Inflate something by filling it with air; Suddenly become very angry; Enlarge a photograph or image; (of a storm or argument) develop quickly into something serious
build up
Same up pattern: increase
Gradually increase in amount, strength or intensity; Develop or strengthen something over time; Make someone or something seem more important or impressive than they are; Encourage or strengthen someone emotionally; Create momentum towards a moment or event
get up
Same up pattern: increase
Move from lying or sitting to an upright or standing position; Increase in strength
go up
Same up pattern: increase
Rise in price or amount
grow up
Same up pattern: increase
Become an adult or spend your childhood in a place
heat up
Same up pattern: increase
Make something hotter
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