lighten up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If individual investors and large institutions collectively decide to lighten up on their dollars, it will leave a mark.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Or did the embrace of “Rocky” and “Jaws” mean that audiences wanted their movies to lighten up?

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

"Any attempts to lighten up, a smile and a laugh are quickly met by regret and guilt," they said.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

“If companies lighten up on things that are ineffective, that could be a good outcome,” Dr. Dobbin said, noting that mandatory anti-bias trainings have been shown to sometimes even worsen bias.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

Then, stretching, I tried to figure some way to lighten up the conversation.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns