Meaning & use
liven up
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Meanings
verbtransitive
to make something more lively, interesting, or exciting.
Grammar: Takes an object: liven up the party.
Patterns
- liven up something
- liven something up
We need some music to liven up the party.
A few colorful cushions can liven up a dull room.
verbintransitive
to become more lively, interesting, or exciting.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'after' or 'when': The party livened up after the band arrived.
Patterns
- liven up after something
- liven up when ...
The conversation livened up after she told a funny story.
Things livened up when the guests started dancing.
Word forms
| third person singular | livens up |
|---|---|
| past tense | livened up |
| past participle | livened up |
| -ing form | livening up |
Common combinations
- liven up the party
- They hired a DJ to liven up the party.
- liven up a room
- A fresh coat of paint will liven up the room.
- liven up the atmosphere
- His jokes livened up the atmosphere at the meeting.
- liven things up
- We need something to liven things up around here.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brighten up
- Often used for making something more cheerful or colorful, not necessarily more exciting.
- perk up
- Suggests a return of energy or alertness, often after tiredness.
- enliven
- More formal and literary; 'liven up' is the everyday choice.
Opposites
Word family
- lively adjective
- full of energy and excitement.
- livelihood noun
- the way someone earns money to live.
- liven verb
- to make or become lively; less common than 'liven up'.
Commonly confused: liven up or live up to?
liven up vs live up to
Means 'to be as good as expected', as in 'He lived up to his reputation'. 'Liven up' means to make more lively.
Practice
The party was boring until someone ______ the music.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'livened up' fits because the action happened before now. 'Liven up' is the base form and cannot be used alone after 'someone' in a past-tense sentence; 'livened' without 'up' is not the usual phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liven up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.