cheerleader

[cheer-lee-der]

noun

1. a person who leads spectators in cheering, usually a member of a team that performs dance, acrobatic, and tumbling routines at sporting events or in competitions with other teams.

2. a person who encourages and openly supports the success of a person or cause.

   Her dad has always been her biggest cheerleader.

   He emerged as a cheerleader for the rights of the incarcerated.

cheerleader

/ ˈtʃɪəˌliːdə /

noun

1. a person who leads a crowd in formal cheers, esp at sports events

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheerleader¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; cheer + leader

Example Sentences

She is a creative consultant, cultural connector and community cheerleader.

From Los Angeles Times

Even with the move to America, he has remained a cheerleader for a number of charities.

From BBC

So in football terms they are an afterthought, an also-ran, but off the field they are a behemoth of marketing, revenue, glitz, glamour and headlines - even their cheerleaders have their own long-running reality TV show.

From BBC

We’ve all heard the story of the high school party through the eyes of the jocks and the cheerleaders and the popular kids.

From Los Angeles Times

The Nerves: “We’d kept Paul’s return under wraps purposefully, and Paul was the cheerleader of that,” says executive producer John Hoffman, who admits concern over the surprise.

From Los Angeles Times