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• v  make more cheerful
  the conversation lightened me up a bit
• v  reduce the weight on; make lighter
  she lightened the load on the tired donkey
• v  become more cheerful
  after a glass of wine, he lightened up a bit
• v  make lighter or brighter
• v  become lighter
  The room lightened up
• v  alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
  lighten the burden of caring for her elderly parents

• The blasts turn to laughs soon after when, to lighten the mood, Gibson has the crew bring out a stuffed jaguar and leads the extras running away in mock terror.
• If I make the same blunder on the D40, I could lighten up the shots right on the camera, which saves the edited image as a separate file, in case you don't like the fix.
• If all that feels a bit too heavy, there are plenty of sites happy to lighten things up.

• lighten up
• buoy up
• brighten
• relieve

• weigh_down
• darken

News & Articles

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• UO Students Lighten their Loads
  EUGENE, Ore. — High schoolers are learning a lesson in real life while teaming up with the University of Oregon’s housing department to move students out of the dorms. The program “Lighten Your Load” allows students to donate unwanted items to the Springfield Public Schools Family Resource Center. Food for Lane County also benefits from … Continue reading »
  June 13, 2013 - KEZI 9 Eugene
• Guilford, Waterbury supporting energy efficiency push
  Guilford and Waterbury are aiming to lighten the load of energy bills for its residents.
  June 12, 2013 - Hartford Business Journal
• Dumb And Dumber Best Explains Chad Johnson's, Judge McHugh's Behavior In Courtroom 'Fanny Tap'
  In the immortal words of Sergeant Hulka from Stripes fame, "Lighten up, Francis."
  June 11, 2013 - Forbes

Quotes

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• Joe Maddon in The Associated Press
  I want to lighten his load a little bit,Maddon said.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton in San Jose Mercury News
  I thought I was funny,Clinton said. "You guys keep telling me to lighten up, be funny. I get a little funny and now I'm being psychoanalyzed."
• Bill Murray in FOXNews
  I've tried to lighten it for people. I know how hard it is,said Murray. "There's a lot of goodwill out there for what I've done. And I didn't really appreciate it so much before. I really appreciate it now."