1 C1 informal
To add flavour, sharpness, or spice to a dish, literally or figuratively.
"She peppered up the soup with some chilli flakes and fresh herbs."
separable
pepper up
C1 informal separable transitive
To make something more lively, interesting, or sharp by adding stimulating elements.
In plain English
To make something more exciting or interesting, like adding pepper to food to give it more flavour.
What does "pepper up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To make something such as a speech, presentation, or piece of writing more lively and engaging.
"He peppered up his lecture with some surprising statistics and funny anecdotes."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To add pepper to something, making it spicier.
Actually means
To make something more exciting or interesting, like adding pepper to food to give it more flavour.
Usage tip
A relatively rare phrasal verb, mostly used informally. It draws on the metaphor of pepper as something that adds sharpness and bite. More common in written informal contexts than in speech. Often seen in cooking or lifestyle writing.
Words that pair with "pepper up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
speech dish presentation routine meal recipe
How to conjugate "pepper up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
pepper up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
peppers up
he/she/it
Past simple
peppered up
yesterday
Past participle
peppered up
have + pp
-ing form
peppering up
continuous
Hear "pepper up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "pepper up"
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