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Phrasal Verbs / PHRASA~1

Lighten up

lighten up & lightens up lightening up lightened up lightened up

1. lighten up (on) p.v. [informal] When you lighten up or lighten up on people, you become less harsh or less strict in your treatment of them.

You're awfully hard on your daughter. Maybe you ought to lighten up on her.

You've been criticizing me all day. Will you please lighten up?

2. lighten ...up p.v. When you lighten up, you change the subject of conversation from something serious to something more cheerful and pleasant.

Enough talk about business. Let's lighten things up around here. Lighten it up — you've been talking about death and taxes all night.