Meaning & use
peped
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“peped” is a form of “pep”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitiveinformalAmerican
Made someone feel more lively, confident, or eager; usually followed by 'up'.
Grammar: Takes an object and is almost always used with 'up': She peped him up before the game.
Patterns
- pep someone up
- pep up something
The coach peped the team up with a short, loud speech.
A funny video peped her up after a long day.
Word forms
| base form | pep |
|---|---|
| third person singular | peps |
| present participle | pepping |
| past participle | peped |
Common combinations
- pep someone up
- The good news peped him up immediately.
- pep up the crowd
- The band's fast songs peped up the crowd.
- need pepping up
- This dull room needs pepping up with some color.
Synonyms and how they differ
- encourage
- More formal and serious; it focuses on giving someone courage or hope, not just energy.
- cheer up
- Means to make someone happier, not necessarily more energetic or confident.
- energize
- Stronger and more neutral; it suggests giving real physical energy, not just a mood boost.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: peped or pepped?
peped vs pepped
'Pepped' is the usual spelling of the past tense of 'pep'. 'Peped' is a rare variant that appears mostly in informal writing.
Practice
The coach ______ the players up before the final match.
Choose one answer.
'Peped' is the past tense form needed here to match the past time of the sentence. 'Pep' is the base form and would be used for present or future, not for a finished past action.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.