Definition of Buoy up

1. Verb. Become more cheerful. "After a glass of wine, he lightened up a bit"

Exact synonyms: Lighten, Lighten Up
Generic synonyms: Cheer, Cheer Up, Chirk Up

2. Verb. Make more cheerful. "The conversation lightened me up a bit"
Exact synonyms: Lighten, Lighten Up
Generic synonyms: Cheer
Causes: Lighten, Lighten Up
Antonyms: Weigh Down

3. Verb. Keep afloat. "The life vest buoyed him up"
Exact synonyms: Buoy
Generic synonyms: Hold, Hold Up, Support, Sustain
Derivative terms: Buoyant

Definition of Buoy up

1. Verb. (idiomatic transitive) To uplift, hearten, inspire or raise the spirits ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Buoy Up

bunyas
bunyaviridae infections
bunyavirus
bunyavirus encephalitis
bunyaviruses
bunyip
bunyip aristocracy
bunyips
bunyon
bunyons
buolt
buolts
buoy
buoy rope
buoy tender
buoy up (current term)
buoyage
buoyages
buoyance
buoyances
buoyancies
buoyancy
buoyancy aid
buoyancy aids
buoyant
buoyant density
buoyantly
buoyantness
buoyed
buoyed up

Literary usage of Buoy up

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Diaries and Correspondence of James Harris, First Earl of Malmesbury by James Harris Malmesbury (1844)
"fair words, or buoy up their expectations by specious promises, which I was not certain in the event we meant to, or even could, perform. ..."

2. The War Diary of a Diplomat by Lee Meriwether (1919)
"Presidents and kings and kaisers are alike in wanting to buoy up their people; Germany may be able to carry on the war for years, but Hindenburg's saying so ..."

3. An English and Welsh Dictionary: Wherein, Not Only the Words, But Also, the by John Walters (1828)
"To buoy up, ra [cause to ascend] gyn (i ... merit trill buoy up at laut, Can's rl gynnydd o'r diwedd a ..."

4. Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas Jefferson (1829)
"... is, to buoy up the nation with flattering calculations of their present prosperity, and to make them believe they are better without us, than with us. ..."

5. An Alphabetical List of English Words Occurring in the Literature of the by Philological Society (Great Britain), Philological Society (Great Britain (1861)
"1, 2, 3 stream the buoy, PhiL 1801 buoy, va 3 buoy up with, C. 1862 buoyage 3 buoy, vn 1620 buoy up 2, 3 buoyancy, W. 1770 buoyant 3 buoyance, "W. buoyantly ..."

6. Dictionary of English and French Idioms: Illustrating, by Phrases and by Jean Roemer (1853)
"To buoy up made a sad bungle ofthat business, il a fait un gâchis de cette affaire. BUOYANCY. Légèreté; (of air and water), (on water), soulever; ..."

7. Iron: An Illustrated Weekly Journal for Iron and Steel Manufacturers edited by Sholto Percy, Perry Fairfax Nursey (1828)
"I find also by experiment, that one leager will buoy up, in the water, 27 cwt of iron slung outside ; therefore, the number of casks of that description ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Buoy up on Dictionary.com!Search for Buoy up on Thesaurus.com!Search for Buoy up on Google!Search for Buoy up on Wikipedia!

Search