perk up
phrasal verb
perked up; perking up; perks up
informal
1
: to become more lively or cheerful or to make (someone) more lively or cheerful
We perked up when we heard the good news.
The good news perked everyone up.
2
: to make (something) fresher or more appealing
The new paint job really perked up the room.
3
chiefly US, of an animal's ears
: to be lifted in a quick and alert way
The dog's ears perked up.
—often used figuratively of a personMy ears perked up when I heard my name mentioned.
Examples of perk up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To mark National Coffee Day and help coffee lovers celebrate, coffee shops, fast-food establishments, convenience stores and other places known for coffee are perking up with freebies, discounts or deals.
—
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 28 Sep. 2024
Where a single overhead light doesn’t quite illuminate the whole room, additional ambient lighting in corners can perk up the space and energize your productivity.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2024
Further, even as exuberance around artificial intelligence has driven outsized returns for Nvidia and the tech sector, other areas of the market have perked up: Financials are toting a nearly 20% gain in 2024, while consumer staples are up about 18%.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2024
The good news was that streaming perked up, with all of its DTC offerings between Max, HBO, and Discovery+ adding 3.6 million subscribers in the quarter for a total of 103.3 million subs.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perk up 
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 28 Sep. 2024
Where a single overhead light doesn’t quite illuminate the whole room, additional ambient lighting in corners can perk up the space and energize your productivity.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2024
Further, even as exuberance around artificial intelligence has driven outsized returns for Nvidia and the tech sector, other areas of the market have perked up: Financials are toting a nearly 20% gain in 2024, while consumer staples are up about 18%.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2024
The good news was that streaming perked up, with all of its DTC offerings between Max, HBO, and Discovery+ adding 3.6 million subscribers in the quarter for a total of 103.3 million subs.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perk up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perk up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Perk up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perk%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
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