humour

American  

[hyoo-mer] / ˈhju mər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. humor.

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humour British  

/ ˈhjuːmə /

noun

1. the quality of being funny

2. Also called: sense of humour. the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous

3. situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be humorous

4. 1. a state of mind; temper; mood

   2. ( in combination )

      ill humour

      good humour

5. temperament or disposition

6. a caprice or whim

7. any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour

8. Also called: cardinal humour. archaic any of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler or yellow bile, melancholy or black bile) formerly thought to determine emotional and physical disposition

9. in a bad mood

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verb

1. to attempt to gratify; indulge

   he humoured the boy's whims

2. to adapt oneself to

   to humour someone's fantasies

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• humourlessness
  noun
• humourful
  adjective
• humourless
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of humour

C14: from Latin humor liquid; related to Latin ūmēre to be wet, Old Norse vökr moist, Greek hugros wet

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

humour

The mother told the trial that her son was "very quiet, very funny, very smart" and had a "dry sense of humour".

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

At the same time, everyday accessories and clothing have been introduced, along with denim, humour and pop references.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

"She never got over the loss of her husband, missing his kindliness, humour and story-telling. She thought of him every day."

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

There were also signs of Fleming's character and sense of humour.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

It was a strange thing that the patient had humour enough to see their distrust, for, coming close to me, he said in a whisper, all the while looking furtively at them:—

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

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