perk up

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perk¹

(pûrk)

v. perked, perk·ing, perks

v.intr.

1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk.

2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner.

v.tr.

To cause to stick up quickly: The dog perked its ears at the noise.

adj.

Perky.

Phrasal Verb:

perk up

1. To regain or cause to regain one's good spirits or liveliness.

2. To refresh the appearance of: New furniture and paint perked up the room.

[Possibly Middle English perken, to perch, from perk, rod, perch, probably from Medieval Latin perca and from Old French perche, perce, both from Latin pertica, rod; see perch¹.]

perk²

(pûrk)

n. Informal

A perquisite.

[Shortening and alteration of perquisite.]

perk³

(pûrk)

intr.v. perked, perk·ing, perks Informal

To percolate: The coffee was perking on the stove.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

perk up

vb (adverb)

1. to make or become more cheerful, hopeful, or lively

2. to rise or cause to rise briskly: the dog's ears perked up.

3. (tr) to make smarter in appearance: she perked up her outfit with a bright scarf.

4. (intr) slang Austral to vomit

[C14 perk, perhaps from Norman French perquer; see perch¹]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	perk up - gain or regain energy; "I picked up after a nap" gain vigor, perk, percolate, pick up convalesce, recover, recuperate - get over an illness or shock; "The patient is recuperating"
	2.	perk up - cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate" energize, energise, stimulate, arouse, brace affect - act physically on; have an effect upon; "the medicine affects my heart rate" cathect - inject with libidinal energy reanimate, recreate, revivify, vivify, revive, renovate, animate, quicken, repair - give new life or energy to; "A hot soup will revive me"; "This will renovate my spirits"; "This treatment repaired my health" reinvigorate, invigorate - impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; "Exercise is invigorating" liven, liven up, enliven, invigorate, animate - make lively; "let's liven up this room a bit"

perk up

verb cheer up, recover, rally, revive, look up, brighten, take heart, recuperate, buck up (informal) She perked up and began to laugh.

perk something or someone up liven someone up, revive someone, cheer someone up, pep someone up A brisk stroll will perk you up.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

perk up

verb

1. To impart strength and confidence to:

buck up, cheer (up), encourage, hearten, nerve.

2. To regain one's health:

come around (or round), convalesce, gain, improve, mend, rally, recover, recuperate.

Translations

rallegrare vivacizzare

kvikne til

оживать

w>perk up

vt sep

(= lift) head → heben; he perked up his ears (dog, person) → er spitzte die Ohren

to perk somebody up (= make lively: coffee etc) → jdn aufmöbeln (inf) → or munter machen; (= make cheerful: visit, idea etc) → jdn aufheitern; she perked up her outfit with a bright scarf → sie peppte ihre Kleidung mit einem hellen Schal auf (inf)

vi (= liven up: person, party) → munter werden; (= cheer up) → aufleben; (= become interested) → hellhörig werden; his ears perked up → er spitzte seine Ohren

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

perk up

1. vt + adv (cheer up) → tirar su di morale
he tried to perk up her appetite → cercava di stimolarle l'appetito

2. vi + adv (cheer up) → tirarsi su di morale; (show interest) → animarsi
the dog's ears perked up → il cane drizzò le orecchie

References in periodicals archive ?

The rest of the time, our ears perk up at "a chance of thunderstorms" in the forecast.

Things that go boom

When lobbying for health-research funding, she says, "sometimes you can perk up their attention if it's a discussion of a disease one of the committee members has or if his mother died of it.

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