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to pep up

to pep up

3 4.1
Make someone or something more lively and interesting
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɛp ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : animar
  • Looks like Me-Me's trying to pep her up so she won't feel so bad.
  • try to pep up
  • pep it up a little

It's looking up and really massaging, helps with the lymph drainage, but psychologically you just feel pepped up.

Examples

  • She drank a cup of coffee to pep up her energy before the meeting.

  • I was all pepped up about that speech tonight.

  • Nothing like a good night's sleep to pep you up.

  • It peps me up better than a cup of coffee.

    Blog text (3)
  • So, in order not to make it too sad, I've pepped up the name of the chapter with an extra title.

  • We're going to try and pep up just a little bit, you know, so we're going to go for a very fall inspired plum look right here.

  • Smart teachers will continue to use a variety of methods because a variety of methods is indeed the spice of pedagogy, and the kids find that when a teacher handles the lesson in a new way, things pep up somehow.

    Academic text (1995)
  • A little music can really pep up the atmosphere at a party.

  • The coach gave an inspiring speech to pep up the team before the big game.

Synonyms

to inspire
vsto pep up
837 3.2

Cause someone to feel excited and ready to act

is more about outward liveliness and energetic interest
to cheer
vsto pep up
392 1.0

To make someone feel happier

is broader, adding liveliness or energy beyond simple cheerfulness
to fire up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
70 4.1

Make people feel excited and ready to act

adds liveliness more gently without intense arousal
to liven up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
66 3.9

To make or become more active and interesting

is the general everyday way to increase liveliness
to excite
vsto pep up
64 2.7

To make something more active, alert or interested

is mainly about making things or people more lively and fun
to heat up
vsto pep up
57 3.4

To become more intense or make a situation more intense

is milder, focusing on added liveliness not intensity
to pump up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
28 4.1

Make someone feel excited and full of energy

is a general way to add liveliness more mildly
to invigorate
vsto pep up
26 5.5

To give more energy and make someone or something feel lively

is the basic act of increasing liveliness or interest
to spice up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
23 3.9

To make something more interesting or exciting

adds general liveliness without stressing added variety
to uplift
vsto pep up
23 3.2

To make someone feel happier and more hopeful

aims more at practical liveliness and energy than deep inspiration
to reinvigorate
vsto pep up
19 5.7

To give new energy and interest to a person or thing

is broader, simply increasing liveliness rather than renewing strength
to brighten up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
17 2.7

Make a room or person more cheerful

is the general act of adding liveliness to people or things
to perk up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
16 3.1

Become more lively and cheerful after feeling tired or sad

is similar but applies to people or things generally
to rouse
vsto pep up
16 5.1

To make people feel strong emotion and want to act

is gentler, mainly adding interest or liveliness not agitation
to buck up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
14 6.3

To become or make someone more cheerful and confident

is focused on adding liveliness rather than building courage
to enthuse
vsto pep up
7 5.5

To make someone feel excited about something

targets general liveliness and energy rather than focused enthusiasm
to enliven
vsto pep up
6 4.1

Make something more active and interesting

is the informal action of increasing liveliness or energy
to liven
vsto pep up
4 3.6

To make something more exciting or interesting

is the common informal action to add liveliness or energy
to pep
vsto pep up
  • Informal
4 4.9

To make someone or something more lively

is the general action of making someone or something livelier
to charge up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
4 4.8

To make people feel excited and ready to act

is a calmer way to add liveliness or energy
to reenergize
vsto pep up
  • US
3 4.1

To give new energy and enthusiasm to a person or thing

is the everyday act of adding liveliness not only restoring energy
to spirit up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
3 7.0

Make someone feel happier and full of energy

is the general phrase to add liveliness or energy
to hype up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
3 5.6

To make someone feel very excited about something

is the straightforward act of making something more lively
to jazz up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
2 5.1

Make something more interesting and lively, like a room or outfit

is the plain act of making things more lively
to brighten up the room
vsto pep up
  • Informal
1 2.9

Make a room feel more lively and cheerful

works broadly to increase liveliness in people or things
to gas up
vsto pep up
  • Slang
1 9.2

Give someone praise to make them feel more confident

raises general liveliness without using praise or flattery
to hot up
vsto pep up
  • UK
1 7.7

To become more active or exciting in a situation

is the everyday action of adding liveliness without that intensity
1 3.4

Help someone feel happier

targets adding energy or interest rather than only mood
to brighten the room
vsto pep up
  • Informal
3.0

To make a room feel happier and more lively

applies more widely beyond just room atmosphere
to buoy up
vsto pep up
5.3

To make someone feel more cheerful and confident

focuses on adding energy or interest to people or things
to pim
vsto pep up
  • Informal
9.9

Make something more lively by adding music or bright pictures

is the neutral phrase for making people or things livelier
to jolly up
vsto pep up
  • UK
8.2

To try to make someone feel happier when they are sad

is the broader action of adding liveliness or energy
to kick up excitement
vsto pep up
4.4

Make people more interested and eager about something

is the straightforward act of making something more lively
to chirk up
vsto pep up
  • Archaic
8.6

To make someone feel happier or more lively

is a common everyday expression for that same change
to get a crowd going
vsto pep up
  • Informal
4.8

Make an audience feel excited and cheer

is a general term for making people or things livelier
to juice up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
6.7

Make an event like a party more lively and exciting

is the basic act of adding liveliness without extra show
to ginger up
vsto pep up
  • Informal
8.1

To make something more lively or exciting

is the neutral phrase for adding liveliness or energy

Antonyms

305 2.8

To make people and things less strong or effective

How Energetic

to galvanize
39 6.7
to invigorate
26 5.5
to energize
  • US
65 3.7
to pep up
  • Informal
3 4.1
to liven up
  • Informal
66 3.9
to perk up
  • Informal
16 3.1

Surface Forms

pep up infinitive
peppered up past participle
pepping up present participle
peps up third person singular

Morphology

pep + up

The sense 'to make more lively or energetic' is directly and compositionally derived from 'pep' (to enliven) plus the intensifying/augmentative particle 'up' (to increase), so the overall meaning is predictable from its parts. This follows common English verb+particle patterns and would be apparent to a B1 learner who already knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Pep up may come from the image of adding pep, like pepper, to food to give it a quick, lively taste. That's why pep up means 'to make someone or something more lively or energetic'.