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• pep
  pep

  noun

  lively spirits or energy; vigor; animation.
• PEP
  PEP

  acronym

  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

pep

American  

[pep] / pɛp /

noun

1. lively spirits or energy; vigor; animation.

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verb phrase

1. pep up to make or become spirited, vigorous, or lively; animate.

   We need something to pep up this party.

PEP ¹ British  

/ pɛp /

acronym

1. 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

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abbreviation

1. political and economic planning

pep ² British  

/ pɛp /

noun

1. high spirits, energy, or vitality

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verb

1. to liven by imbuing with new vigour

Other Word Forms

• pepful
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pep

First recorded in 1840–50; short for pepper

Explanation

Pep is a high spirited kind of energy. It takes a lot of pep (and pom-poms) to be a cheerleader. Watching a school play in which the actors are full of pep is a lot more fun than seeing lethargic performers halfheartedly go through the motions. After a good night's sleep and a cup of tea, you might have plenty of pep to start your day — but it might take your older sister longer to truly wake up. Pep first appeared in 1912, as a shortened form of pepper, which once meant "moxie" or "gusto."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pep PEP

Young people deserve better than "warmed-over revivals missing all of the pep, colour and dazzle of their predecessors", he concluded.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

To deal with others, he has sent Karoline Leavitt, his pep secretary, into the Brady Briefing Room to handle the reporters he despises.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Thankfully, Kristine Froseth adds pep as a bimbo who hasn’t yet learned how to talk as leadenly as everyone else.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Challengers visited the White House in March for a pep talk and photos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

It was one of the new shiny red Bloomer engines, a flashy piece of engineering and full of pep, too.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

PepsiCo PEP 1.53%increase; green up pointing triangle pulled its sponsorship of a planned London music festival that booked Kanye West as the headline performer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Cut prices—as PepsiCo PEP 1.47%increase; green up pointing triangle and General Mills are now doing on some products—and you erode margins with no guarantee that volumes return.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

However, many health departments had already started offering doxy PEP due to the overwhelmingly positive response it showed in clinical trials, reducing chlamydia and gonorrhea by 70% and 50%, respectively.

From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2025

Officials call the treatment doxy PEP, short for doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024

Read the first few chapters of "PEP," particularly the chapter in the book about solitude and sizing up things.

From Evening Round Up More Good Stuff Like Pep by Hunter, William Crosbie

Related Words

• gusto
• starch
• verve