jeer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See scoff 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jeersimple
-
jeerssimple
-
have jeeredperfect
-
has jeeredperfect
-
am jeeringprogressive
-
are jeeringprogressive
-
is jeeringprogressive
-
have been jeeringperfect progressive
-
has been jeeringperfect progressive
Past
-
jeeredsimple
-
had jeeredperfect
-
was jeeringprogressive
-
were jeeringprogressive
-
had been jeeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jeer1
1555–65; origin uncertain; compare Old English cēir clamor, akin to cēgan to call out
Origin of jeer2
First recorded in 1485–95; origin uncertain
Explanation
As a noun, jeer is the act of scoffing, taunting, or mocking. Think of it as an anti-cheer. If you offer cheers for the visiting team and jeers for the home team, you might not be too popular in the stands. As a verb, jeer means to laugh at in a mean way. Even if you did forget the words to the national anthem, it wasn't polite for the crowd to jeer. But don't feel too bad: the last singer remembered all the words and they jeered her anyway! Tough crowd.
Vocabulary lists containing jeer
List 3
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Ghost
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The phrase carries a derisive jeer, a suggestion that anyone born into fame and wealth gets to glide through life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
By the time the visitors made it out to inspect the pitch, there were Newcastle fans gathered to jeer them some more.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2025
One can hear every squeak of the shoes, every jeer from the loudmouths, every direction from the coaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
Many say they plan to jeer him or otherwise protest his presence.
From New York Times ● May 25, 2024
The giants looked at Thor and they began to jeer, but he glared at them, and they were silent.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
“Good evening, everyone,” Bass began over jeers, in the tone of an elementary school teacher who knows her students are going to act extra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The jeers included "No to war!" and "Protect Article 9!"
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
And big jeers to the New York taxi driver who decided to take a clogged route through Times Square on my less than one-mile trip to the Port Authority bus station Wednesday afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The jeers were loud, sustained and unambiguous — the sound of a city that overwhelmingly voted against this man, telling him exactly what it thought of him.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
To shield myself from the jeers, I decided I needed a wig.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Venezuelans jeered acting president Delcy Rodríguez and mocked National Guard troops, while some U.S. lawmakers criticized the government for allegedly limiting aid access.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Some of those fans turned their backs during the national anthem, which many in the stands jeered at its start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
“I don’t know what y’all are whining about,” he once said as the crowd jeered him after yet another victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
During the disruption thousands of Celtic fans jeered the pitch invaders as the stadium announcer asked them to return to their seats.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
No one jeered at him or noticed him because he had crossed the street and was walking close up against the hedge on the other side.
From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong
“This is a family town,” the arresting officer tells jeering onlookers as he and the two others handcuff Gamble.
From Slate ● May 4, 2026
“I know many of the members across the House will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer said to jeering lawmakers on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Whether we consume their content as genuine fans or jeering critics, we’re still offering up our engagement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Undeterred, she began dancing before enduring more whistles and jeering during her on-court interview.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
“Only dorks visit chat rooms,” one of the girls said, looping her arm around the jeering guy’s elbow.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
