light up
phrasal verb
1
of a light
: to become lit : to begin shining
All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.
—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasureHis eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.
2
informal, of a telephone
: to show a light indicating that someone is calling
When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.
3
informal
: to light a cigarette
I can't wait to light up after work.
Examples of light up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The lightning and thunder strikes get closer together and light up the now-dim forest.
—
Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024
Motown mainstay Kem will light up the Aretha amphitheater on Aug. 2, and there’s an exciting new jazz project from some well-pedigreed local veterans: Don Was, Dave McMurray and Luis Resto will make their Motor City debut as the Pan-Detroit Ensemble on May 24 at Orchestra Hall.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 5 May 2024
The public artwork, located on the grounds of the Creekside West senior housing complex, is a towering, interactive sculpture that invites visitors to grab on, give it a spin and watch as the sky’s natural light is converted into a rainbow of colors that light up the ground.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post, 3 May 2024
Other states like California, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida could also see the sky light up again for an encore performance.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
And, like the Oscars or the Met Gala, star wattage helps light up the night.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2024
On the evening of Thanksgiving, 15 blocks light up with thousands of colorful bulbs.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Some Israelis watched the interceptions light up the night sky.
—Joseph Federman, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
The color-changing smart bulbs work with all major smart home platforms and light up homes with 1,100 lumens of brightness.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024
Motown mainstay Kem will light up the Aretha amphitheater on Aug. 2, and there’s an exciting new jazz project from some well-pedigreed local veterans: Don Was, Dave McMurray and Luis Resto will make their Motor City debut as the Pan-Detroit Ensemble on May 24 at Orchestra Hall.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 5 May 2024
The public artwork, located on the grounds of the Creekside West senior housing complex, is a towering, interactive sculpture that invites visitors to grab on, give it a spin and watch as the sky’s natural light is converted into a rainbow of colors that light up the ground.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post, 3 May 2024
Other states like California, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida could also see the sky light up again for an encore performance.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
And, like the Oscars or the Met Gala, star wattage helps light up the night.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2024
On the evening of Thanksgiving, 15 blocks light up with thousands of colorful bulbs.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Some Israelis watched the interceptions light up the night sky.
—Joseph Federman, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
The color-changing smart bulbs work with all major smart home platforms and light up homes with 1,100 lumens of brightness.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'light up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near light up
Cite this Entry
“Light up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20up. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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