light up

phrasal verb

1

of a light : to become lit : to begin shining

All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.

—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasure

His eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.

2

informal, of a telephone : to show a light indicating that someone is calling

When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.

3

informal : to light a cigarette

I can't wait to light up after work.

Examples of light up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At night, the skies light up with some of the best stargazing opportunities on Earth. —Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2024

George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga failed to light up the 2024 summer box office, and will end its theatrical run at a best-case $170 million, give or take a couple of million bucks. —Mark Hughes, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

Tuesday: New Year’s Eve in Baltimore Watch the Baltimore sky light up in celebration of 2025 on New Year’s Eve in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. —John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 26 Dec. 2024

Plus, six seasonal songs light up each chart’s top 10. —Gary Trust, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024