verb

brighten

Translation

to brighten, to cheer up, to lighten

Let's open the curtains to brighten the room.

Her smile brightened his day.

The sky began to brighten after the storm.

((sth.)) to make something lighter or more cheerful The new lamp will brighten this corner.

((up)) to become lighter or more cheerful His face brightened up when he saw the gift.

Synonyms: lighten, illuminate, cheer up; Antonyms: darken, dim

From the adjective 'bright' plus the verbal suffix '-en', which means 'to make' or 'to become'.

To 'bright-en' is to 'make bright'. The '-en' suffix often turns adjectives into verbs (e.g., shorten, widen).