to perk up
31
3.1
- phrasal verb
- /pɜrk ʌp/
- Informal
- It really helps to perk up my spirits and make me feel warm and cozy inside.
- ears perk up
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Watch on YouTubeSo when Noah said I love my job, my ears perked up.
- So when Noah said I love my job, my ears perked up.
- It really helps to perk up my spirits and make me feel warm and cozy inside.
- He's like awesome, but in that moment he felt needed again, so he fucking perked up.
- And when I discover one, it's as if it it's as if it perks up.
- I am I people would talk about what movie they'd gone to see or the Oscars that were coming up and I was, you know, I would perk up then and.
Examples
-
A flush of life returned to Catherine's pallid cheeks, and she visibly perked up.
Fiction book (1995) -
Come on, ladies, perk up.
-
I hope you perk up for our honeymoon.
-
Suddenly he perked up as they walked, and he began to whistle an old, old song.
Fiction book (1991) -
Nurse Sherie has a reputation of perking up her patients.
-
After a long day at work, a good cup of coffee helps me perk up and feel energized.
-
The kids were feeling tired after the trip, but the excitement of the park visit made them perk up again.
-
Listening to my favorite music can really perk up my mood when I'm feeling down.
Synonyms
248
1.0
To make someone feel happier
198
3.0
To get better or stronger
185
3.7
Make a person or thing more active, alert and responsive
124
4.1
Make people feel excited and ready to act
111
4.1
To become or make someone feel more cheerful and relaxed
86
3.7
To make someone feel more active and alert
64
3.2
To make someone feel happier and more hopeful
63
3.7
Become lively and full of activity or interest
53
4.1
Make someone feel excited and full of energy
35
3.7
Become more lively or cheerful after being tired
25
6.3
To become or make someone more cheerful and confident
22
2.7
Make a room or person more cheerful
19
3.9
To make or become more active and interesting
16
5.7
To give new energy and interest to a person or thing
15
7.0
Make someone feel happier and full of energy
10
5.5
To give more energy and make someone or something feel lively
8
4.1
Make something more active and interesting
8
5.6
To make someone feel very excited about something
7
4.8
To make people feel excited and ready to act
6
3.4
Help someone feel happier
6
4.9
To make someone or something more lively
4
4.1
To give new energy and enthusiasm to a person or thing
3
4.1
Make someone or something more lively and interesting
3
3.5
Make someone wake up or feel more energetic
1
5.3
To make someone feel more cheerful and confident
1
8.2
To try to make someone feel happier when they are sad
1
6.6
Get more lively and active
To make someone feel happier
To make someone feel happier or more lively
How Energetic
66
4.1
- Informal
19
3.9
- Informal
31
3.1
- Informal
236
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'perk' (become livelier) combined with the particle 'up' (indicating increase/improvement) yields ‘become more lively/cheerful’. This verb + particle pattern is a standard, predictable English construction, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Perk up comes from the image of a dog or person suddenly lifting their ears or head; to perk is to lift or become more alert and up shows the movement. That small change shows more energy and interest, so 'perk up' means 'to become more lively or cheerful'.