pep

[pep]Informal.

See more synonyms for pep on Thesaurus.com

noun

lively spirits or energy; vigor; animation.

Verb Phrases past and past participle pepped up, present participle pep·ping up.

pep up, to make or become spirited, vigorous, or lively; animate: We need something to pep up this party.

Origin of pep

First recorded in 1840–50; short for pepper

Related formspep·ful, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pep

verve, gusto, starch, life, potency, get-up-and-go, zip, tuck, energy, punch, vitality, liveliness, snap, bang, animation, go, push, moxie, spirit, hardihood

Examples from the Web for pep

Contemporary Examples of pep

Thankfully, Aquaman is there to save the situation and give her a pep talk, while she clutches a teddy bear.
Wonder Woman Takes a Big Step Back
Hugh Ryan
December 16, 2014
He knew I was in a deep depression, dark moods, and he would spend time with me, trying to give me pep talks.
The Flying New York Fireman Who Shined on 9/11
Michael Daly
September 11, 2014
Crazy Eyes sits down with her and gives her a pep talk and a hug.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 2: The Finest, Funniest, and Most Terrifying Moments of Eps. 1-6
Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern
June 12, 2014
The sun beat down as the procession halted behind the parking lot for Pep Boys, a repair garage.
Mardi Gras Indian Chief Larry Bannock’s Final Ride
Jason Berry
May 16, 2014
The pint-size prez gave the pep talk of the year, encouraging people everywhere to take risks and make the world a better place.
Rob Ford, Kid President, What the Fox Say?, and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
December 29, 2013

Historical Examples of pep

Has this high-brow curtain-raiser of yours got any "pep" in it?
Hall-Marked and Others (From Six Short Plays)
John Galsworthy
But it is for pep very good, Mr. Vandeford, sir, and can be tried out.
Blue-grass and Broadway
Maria Thompson Daviess
This book is the same size as PEP but has thirty-two pages more.
Evening Round Up
William Crosbie Hunter
Follow the diet, exercise and thought rules suggested in "Pep."
Evening Round Up
William Crosbie Hunter
And while she was at our house she seemed full of life and pep.
Torchy and Vee
Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for pep

pep

noun

high spirits, energy, or vitality

verb peps, pepping or pepped

(tr usually foll by up) to liven by imbuing with new vigour

Word Origin for pep

C20: short for pepper

PEP

n acronym for

personal equity plan: a method of saving in the U.K. with certain tax advantages, in which investments up to a fixed annual value can be purchased: replaced by the ISA in 1999 but arrangements for existing PEPs remain unchanged

abbreviation for

political and economic planning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pep

"vigor, energy," 1912, shortened form of pepper (n.), which was used in the figurative sense of "spirit, energy" from at least 1847. Pep rally is attested from 1945; pep talk from 1926. To pep (something) up is from 1925.