Cheer up means to make someone feel happier, or to start feeling happier yourself. To cheer someone up is to lift another person's mood. “Cheer up!” is what you say to someone who looks sad or disappointed.
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cheer + someone + up; cheer up (= feel happier); Cheer up!
- Cheer up! One bad exam result doesn't mean you'll fail the whole course.
- Our manager ordered pizza on Friday afternoon to cheer everyone up after a hard week.
- She cheered up a lot when she heard that her visa had been approved.
What changed
First versionDon't hang your nose! You'll pass the test next time.
RevisionCheer up! You'll pass the test next time.
English has no expression “hang your nose”, so the listener will hardly understand what noses have to do with it. To encourage someone who is sad, say “Cheer up!”. If you want an image, there is “Keep your chin up”, literally “hold your chin high”.
Without “up”, the verb “cheer” usually means something else: to shout loudly in support or approval. The audience cheered when the band came on stage. To cheer someone on is to shout to support a person who is competing or performing: We cheered on the runners along the route.
Your turn
Anna was upset about her job interview, so her flatmates baked a cake to ___.
Show the answer
cheer her up — Anna is upset, and her flatmates want to lift her mood, so “cheer her up” is right. “Cheer her on” means to shout support during a competition or a performance, and the interview is already over.
Write about how you cheered up a friend or colleague on a hard day. Say what had happened to them and what you did.
When my colleague's presentation went badly, I cheered him up by taking him for lunch at his favourite café.
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