light up

phrasal verb

1

of a light : to become lit : to begin shining

All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.

—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasure

His eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.

2

informal, of a telephone : to show a light indicating that someone is calling

When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.

3

informal : to light a cigarette

I can't wait to light up after work.

Examples of light up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plus, six seasonal songs light up each chart’s top 10. —Gary Trust, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024

For a universally flattering smoky eye, the Pillow Talk palette has glimmering shades of brown and pink that light up any skin tone. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2024

Cosmic video art from Mariana Mendoza will light up the stars as Afrobeta plays new music from their upcoming album and holiday classics. —Martin Vassolo, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024

Aircraft landing or taxiing Landing lights: These are powerful white lights on the nose, wings or under the fuselage that are turned on when the aircraft is landing to light up the runway. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024