cheer

[cheer]

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noun

a shout of encouragement, approval, congratulation, etc.: The cheers of the fans filled the stadium.

a set or traditional form of shout used by spectators to encourage or show enthusiasm for an athletic team, contestant, etc., as rah! rah! rah!

something that gives joy or gladness; encouragement; comfort: words of cheer.

a state of feeling or spirits: Their good cheer overcame his depression.

gladness, gaiety, or animation: full of cheer and good spirits.

food and drink: tables laden with cheer.

Archaic. facial expression.

interjection

cheers, (used as a salutation or toast.)

verb (used with object)

to salute with shouts of approval, congratulation, triumph, etc.: The team members cheered their captain.

to gladden or cause joy to; inspire with cheer (often followed by up): The good news cheered her.

to encourage or incite: She cheered him on when he was about to give up.

verb (used without object)

to utter cheers of approval, encouragement, triumph, etc.

to become happier or more cheerful (often followed by up): She cheered up as soon as the sun began to shine.

Obsolete. to be or feel in a particular state of mind or spirits.

Nearby words

Idioms

be of good cheer, (used as an exhortation to be cheerful): Be of good cheer! Things could be much worse.

with good cheer, cheerfully; willingly: She accepted her lot with good cheer.

Origin of cheer

1175–1225; Middle English chere face < Anglo-French; compare Old French chiere < Late Latin cara face, head < Greek kárā head

SYNONYMS FOR cheer

3. solace. 5. joy, mirth, glee, merriment. 9. applaud. 10. exhilarate, animate. 11. inspirit.

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ANTONYMS FOR cheer

10. discourage, depress.

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Related forms

cheer·er, nouncheer·ing·ly, adverbun·cheered, adjectiveun·cheer·ing, adjective

well-cheered, adjective

Synonym study

10. Cheer, gladden, enliven mean to make happy or lively. To cheer is to comfort, to restore hope and cheerfulness to (now often cheer up, when thoroughness, a definite time, or a particular point in the action is referred to): to cheer a sick person; She soon cheered him up. To gladden does not imply a state of sadness to begin with, but suggests bringing pleasure or happiness to someone: to gladden someone's heart with good news. Enliven suggests bringing vivacity and liveliness: to enliven a dull evening, a party.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cheer

Yet I had serious trouble understanding how to cheer on the news of Bin Laden or anyone else dying.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The audience--tout Hollywood--stands to cheer his slow and painful trek from the wings to the table.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a cheer that we got for something that was a complete fluke.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Morgan hopefully has a beloved support network, and of course a large fan base to cheer him on.
Understanding Tracy Morgan’s Traumatic Brain Injury|Jean Kim|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“The main idea of the museum is to cheer people up,” Wynd says.
Dodo Bones and Kylie’s Poo: Inside London’s Strangest New Museum|Liza Foreman|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cheer up, Mr. Cardigan; 312 we'll sight them over our rifles yet.
Cardigan|Robert W. Chambers
To cheer him up, the Captain invited him to join Mrs. Thomas and himself on a cruise in the Susan.
Two Knapsacks|John Campbell
At the sight of so much mental anguish, he felt all his old affection reawakening, and he tried to cheer up his friend.
Sentimental Education Vol 1|Gustave Flaubert
So forward, my lads, may your hearts never fail, You are cheer'd by the presence of a sweet Nightingale.
The Life of Florence Nightingale vol. 1 of 2|Edward Tyas Cook
Alice asked, hoping to cheer him up, for the poor Knight seemed quite low-spirited about it.
Through the Looking-Glass|Charles Dodgson, AKA Lewis Carroll

British Dictionary definitions for cheer

cheer

verb

(usually foll by up) to make or become happy or hopeful; comfort or be comforted

to applaud with shouts

(when tr, sometimes foll by on) to encourage (a team, person, etc) with shouts, esp in contests

noun

a shout or cry of approval, encouragement, etc, often using such words as hurrah! or rah! rah! rah!

three cheers three shouts of hurrah given in unison by a group to honour someone or celebrate something

happiness; good spirits

state of mind; spirits (archaic, except in the phrases be of good cheer, with good cheer)

archaic provisions for a feast; fare

Word Origin for cheer

C13 (in the sense: face, welcoming aspect): from Old French chere, from Late Latin cara face, from Greek kara head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cheer

cheer

c.1200, "the face," especially as expressing emotion, from Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression," from Late Latin cara "face" (source of Spanish cara), possibly from Greek kara "head," from PIE root *ker- "head" (see horn (n.)). From mid-13c. as "frame of mind, state of feeling, spirit; mood, humor."

By late 14c. the meaning had extended metaphorically to "mood, mental condition," as reflected in the face. This could be in a good or bad sense ("The feend ... beguiled her with treacherye, and brought her into a dreerye cheere," "Merline," c.1500), but a positive sense (probably short for good cheer) has predominated since c.1400. Meaning "shout of encouragement" first recorded 1720, perhaps nautical slang (cf. earlier verbal sense, "to encourage by words or deeds," early 15c.). The antique English greeting what cheer (mid-15c.) was picked up by Algonquian Indians of southern New England from the Puritans and spread in Indian languages as far as Canada.

cheer

late 14c., "to cheer up, humor, console;" c.1400 as "entertain with food or drink," from cheer (n.). Related: Cheered; cheering. Sense of "to encourage by words or deeds" is early 15c. Which had focused to "salute with shouts of applause" by late 18c. Cheer up (intransitive) first attested 1670s.

Idioms and Phrases with cheer

cheer

In addition to the idioms beginning with cheer

cheer on
cheer up

also see:

three cheers

cheer

noun

interjection

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of cheer

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for cheer

cheer

verb

noun

Word Origin for cheer

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