English verb: buoy up | |||
1. | buoy up (communication) become more cheerful | ||
Samples | After a glass of wine, he lightened up a bit. | ||
Synonyms | lighten, lighten up | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s | ||
Broader (hypernym) | cheer, cheer up, chirk up | ||
2. | buoy up (emotion) make more cheerful | ||
Samples | The conversation lightened me up a bit. | ||
Synonyms | lighten, lighten up | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | cheer | ||
Cause | buoy up, lighten, lighten up | ||
Antonyms | weigh down, weigh on | ||
3. | buoy up (contact) keep afloat | ||
Samples | The life vest buoyed him up. | ||
Synonyms | buoy | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | hold, hold up, support, sustain | ||