lighten up

Idioms  

1. Become or cause to become less serious or gloomy, and more cheerful. For example, Lighten up, Sam—it'll turn out all right. This slangy expression transfers reducing a physical weight to a change of mood or attitude.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lighten up

That isn’t to say that trading activity doesn’t lighten up during the summer months.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026

If individual investors and large institutions collectively decide to lighten up on their dollars, it will leave a mark.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Or did the embrace of “Rocky” and “Jaws” mean that audiences wanted their movies to lighten up?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

"That would certainly lighten up the weight of insulated glass units or triple glazing," she notes, pointing out that this would lower the CO2 emissions associated with transporting the glass.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2023

I felt as if I were gazing into the future: Aunt Kitty looked like a cranky old matron, which was exactly what she was headed for if she didn’t start to lighten up.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• acquiesce
• capitulate
• cave in
• come around
• comply
• ease off
• give in
• give up
• let go
• quit
• relax
• slacken
• soften
• subside