cheer up

Meaning

This expression means to become happier or to make someone else feel happier when they are sad or disappointed. It is often used as a direct command to encourage a friend, or as a phrasal verb in a sentence. The tone is friendly, supportive, and casual.

Examples

• Cheer up! Things will get better soon.

  Cheer up! Things will get better soon.

• I bought her some flowers to cheer her up.

  I bought her some flowers to cheer her up.

• He cheered up when he heard the good news.

  He cheered up when he heard the good news.

• A cup of hot coffee always cheers me up on a rainy day.

  A cup of hot coffee always cheers me up on a rainy day.

• We tried to cheer him up, but he just wanted to be left alone.

  We tried to cheer him up, but he just wanted to be left alone.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Don't be sad, cheer up yourself!

  ✓ Don't be sad, cheer up!

  When telling someone to feel better, 'cheer up' is usually used alone as an intransitive command. If you want to use a pronoun, say 'cheer yourself up' instead of 'cheer up yourself'.

• ✗ The funny movie made me cheered up.

  ✓ The funny movie cheered me up.

  After 'make someone', we use the bare infinitive ('cheer'), not the past tense. Alternatively, you can use the active phrasal verb directly: 'The movie cheered me up.'

Related Expressions

Practice

• I brought you some chocolate to ___.

  💡 Make you feel happier.

  Show answer

  cheer you up

• She started to ___ as soon as the sun came out.

  💡 Become happier.

  Show answer

  cheer up