Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for perk up. Search instead for perk+up.
Synonyms

perk up

British  

verb

  1. to make or become more cheerful, hopeful, or lively

  2. to rise or cause to rise briskly

    the dog's ears perked up

  3. (tr) to make smarter in appearance

    she perked up her outfit with a bright scarf

  4. slang (intr) to vomit

"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
perk up Idioms  

  1. Restore to good spirits, liveliness, or good appearance, as in You're exhausted, but a cup of tea will perk you up, or The flowers perked up the whole room. [Mid-1600s]

Etymology

Origin of perk up

C14 perk, perhaps from Norman French perquer; see perch 1

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.