perking (up)

verb

present participle of perk (up)
1
as in brightening
to become glad or hopeful we perked up once the sun came out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position the dog tilts her head and perks up her ears whenever someone speaks to her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perking (up)
  1. brightening
  2. lifting
  3. looking up
  4. raising
  5. glowing
  6. taking up
  7. elevating
Verb
  • Though it's already packed with energizing caffeine and circulation-boosting ginseng, the formula takes the brightening powers up a notch with light-reflecting particles that could pass for a full eight hours of sleep.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 1 Oct. 2026
  • That’s why this skin tint, which has hydrating squalane along with brightening vitamin C and SPF for sun protection made my list.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of brightening
Verb
  • Higher oil prices have largely offset lower export volumes, lifting revenue above prewar estimates, but spending is set to rise faster.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In May 2020, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts reached the orbiting lab just 3 hours and 3 minutes after lifting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lifting
Verb
  • But the current version of this technology goes well beyond an officer looking up a plate number.
    — Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Loverro believes the announcement wasn’t much more than an acknowledgment of what people could already see for themselves by looking up.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of looking up
Verb
  • In bidding to halt Howard's execution, his attorneys had filed a motion hours earlier before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals raising concerns about the quality of Texas' execution drugs.
    — JAMIE STENGLE, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Governments are borrowing heavily to finance fiscal deficits, while companies are raising funds to invest in emerging technologies, creating an imbalance that could keep upward pressure on interest rates.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of raising
Verb
  • In a world increasingly filled with glowing screens, e-ink’s cleverest trick may simply be knowing when not to glow.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • By watching the entire auroral oval at once, SMILE can help scientists connect what is happening with the magnetosphere with the auroras glowing below.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of glowing
Verb
  • That’s why the Jmdhkk Hidden Camera Detector may be a good investment to provide a level of safety to your stay without taking up excess space in your suitcase or being difficult to use.
    — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Some are banning their kids from taking up football; others defend it for building bonds and teaching life skills.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of taking up
Verb
  • The golf course would be ripped up and rebuilt, including elevating the playing area by several feet to protect against surge flooding.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Seeking new crypto money, Christie’s and Sotheby’s cut all other legitimizing actors out of the loop with NFTs, elevating what might previously have been categorized as illustration, graphic art, or a social media meme to the status of fine art.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of elevating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

perkiness
perking (up)
perks
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Cite this Entry

“Perking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perking%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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