cheer up

Idioms

Become or make happy, raise the spirits of, as in This fine weather should cheer you up. This term may also be used as an imperative, as Shakespeare did (2 Henry IV, 4:4): “My sovereign lord, cheer up yourself.” [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

So cheer up, everyone — it might not happen.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2025

But, the Santa Monica Fire Department told Rogers they could try to look for an item she was seeking that she knew would cheer up her children.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2025

Voters started to cheer up about the economy.

From Slate • Sep. 6, 2024

“Maybe it’s their way of saying for us to cheer up, to have hope,” Sticky said.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023