light up
phr. v..phr. v.. to make something bright or visible by adding light; also to cause a facial expression of joy or surprise.
phr. v.. to cause a source of light to emit illumination; can also mean to cause a facial expression of joy or surprise, often used metaphorically.
The lamp lights up the room.
She lit up the candle to read the letter.
The fireworks lit up the night sky in a dazzling display.
- Particles
- up
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- light + up + object
followed by a direct object indicating what is illuminated, or used intransitively to describe facial expressions.
contrast with 'illuminate' (formal) and 'brighten' (more general); note the metaphorical use in describing emotions.
The room lit up toThe room lit up with lightthe preposition 'with' is required when specifying the source of light in transitive uses.