Synonyms

cheer up

Idioms

Become or make happy, raise the spirits of, as in This fine weather should cheer you up. This term may also be used as an imperative, as Shakespeare did (2 Henry IV, 4:4): “My sovereign lord, cheer up yourself.” [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

So cheer up, everyone — it might not happen.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2025

We need to talk about that “Clueless” scene at the hospital where, to cheer up Molly, Nikki begins a mishmash of performances.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025

Voters started to cheer up about the economy.

From Slate • Sep. 6, 2024

She heard him tell her to cheer up and live.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023