Cheer up meaning
Cheer up means to start to feel happier. It can also mean to make someone feel happier.
cheer up
cheer up · cheered · cheering
Cheer up! It’s not the end of the world.
Cheer up meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Start to feel happier
cheer up
- Cheer up! It’s not the end of the world.
- He cheered up as soon as the sun came out.
- She didn’t cheer up until her friends arrived.
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2
Make someone feel happier
cheer somebody up
- I bought Mum some flowers to cheer her up.
- Nothing cheers me up like a good comedy.
- Can you send Tom a funny video to cheer him up?
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3
Make a place look brighter and nicer
cheer something up
- A few plants would cheer up this office.
- We painted the door blue to cheer the house up.
- Some colourful cushions will cheer the sofa up.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use cheer up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is cheer up separable?
With no object, cheer up means become happier: Cheer up! With an object, it is separable, and a person usually goes in the middle: cheer Anna up, cheer her up.
Cheer up! said to a sad person can sound like you do not take their problem seriously. With close friends it is usually fine and kind.
Verb tenses for cheer up
| Present | I cheer up · she cheers up |
|---|---|
| Past | cheered up |
| Present perfect | have cheered up |
| -ing form | cheering up |
Common mistakes with cheer up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Let’s cheer up him with a party.
Right: Let’s cheer him up with a party.
A pronoun goes between cheer and up.
Wrong: This song always cheers up to me.
Right: This song always cheers me up.
No to; the person goes in the middle.
Wrong: The fans cheered up when the team scored.
Right: The fans cheered when the team scored.
To shout with joy is cheer; cheer up means stop being sad.
Synonyms and opposites of cheer up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- brighten upbecome happier, or make a place more colourful
- lift someone’s spiritsmake someone feel happier, a bit more formal
- light upyour face shows sudden happiness
Opposite
- bring downmake someone feel sad
- get someone downmake someone feel sad or tired over time
Cheer up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1She was sad about her exam, so we took her out to ___ her ___.
Cheer someone up means make them happier.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between cheer and up.
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3“Some yellow curtains would cheer up this kitchen.” What will the curtains do?
Cheer up a room means make it look brighter and nicer.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Cheer up FAQ
Questions people ask about cheer up.
What is the difference between cheer and cheer up?
Cheer means shout to support someone: The crowd cheered. Cheer up means become happier, or make someone happier.
Is it rude to say cheer up?
Not usually, but to someone with a big problem it can sound like you do not care. Is there anything I can do? can be kinder.
What can I say instead of cheer up?
You could say Don’t worry, it’ll be OK, or Things will get better. Hang in there is common in US English.
Use cheer up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.