Perk up means become livelier and more cheerful: the children perked up when the music started. Or make someone livelier: a walk in the fresh air perked me up. When a dog hears the word walk, its ears perk up. You can even perk up a room by adding bright details to bring it to life.
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someone perks up; something perks someone up; perk it up
- The children perked up when the music started.
- A walk in the fresh air perked me up.
- The café added colourful cushions to perk up the room.
What changed
First versionThe good news perked up her.
RevisionThe good news perked her up.
Most verbs take the object right after them, so perked up her looks logical. But with a phrasal verb, a pronoun goes between the parts: perked her up. With a noun both orders work: perk up the room or perk the room up.
Cheer up means make someone happier when they're sad: cheer up, it's not that bad. Perk up means bring back energy and interest, even if nobody was sad: coffee perks me up in the morning. Wake up simply means stop sleeping.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun position: A short break might ___.
Show the answer
perk you up — The pronoun you goes between perk and up: perk you up. Perk up you sounds wrong.
Describe what helps you perk up on a dull or difficult day.
The unexpected visit from an old friend perked him up after a dull afternoon.
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