CHEER UP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cheer up mean? 

• CHEER UP (verb)
  The verb CHEER UP has 2 senses:

1. cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful

2. become cheerful

  Familiarity information: CHEER UP used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHEER UP (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cheer; cheer up; jolly along; jolly up

Context example:

She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee

Cause:

cheer; cheer up; chirk up (become cheerful)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cheer up"):

amuse (make (somebody) laugh)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The good news will cheer up her

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become cheerful

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cheer; cheer up; chirk up

Hypernyms (to "cheer up" is one way to...):

joy; rejoice (feel happiness or joy)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cheer up"):

exuberate; exult; jubilate; rejoice; triumph (to express great joy)

buoy up; lighten; lighten up (become more cheerful)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

Cheer up, Dick!—never fear me!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I shall try to cheer up when Arthur comes, or else I know he will be miserable to see me so.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

But cheer up, Martin, my boy.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

After laying his head on the desk for a little while, he would cheer up, somehow, begin to laugh again, and draw skeletons all over his slate, before his eyes were dry.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Cheer up, Watson, for I am very sure that our material has not yet all come to hand.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Cheer up, for your own self, on'y a little bit, and see if a good deal more doen't come nat'ral!

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

We aud folks that be daffled, and with one foot abaft the krok-hooal, don't altogether like to think of it, and we don't want to feel scart of it; an' that's why I've took to makin' light of it, so that I'd cheer up my own heart a bit.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Mrs. Gummidge did not appear to be able to cheer up.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

“See here! Here's Mas'r Davy come! What, cheer up, pretty! Not a wured to Mas'r Davy?”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

But Mr. Peggotty made no such retort, only answering with another entreaty to Mrs. Gummidge to cheer up.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)