cheerleader
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheerleader
Explanation
A cheerleader is a member of a team that performs synchronized cheers and dance routines, usually from the sidelines of a game. The best cheerleaders are extremely strong and flexible, with a great sense of rhythm. The main job of a cheerleader is to rally a sports team to victory, although many cheerleaders also perform complex acrobatic routines. The traditional uniform that a cheerleader wears includes a short skirt or shorts. In the late 19th century, cheerleaders were simply college students in the stands who called out school cheers in unison. By the 1890s, official cheerleading squads were formed, originally including only men — no women or girls were cheerleaders until 1923.
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.
While the former cheerleader has yet to reveal where her future career path might take her, she hasn’t been able to cut ties with the Dallas-based team just yet.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Earlier seasons of the show concentrated on the tough selection process to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader - a job that attracts young women from across the USA.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Because he was incapable of envy, he was everyone’s biggest cheerleader.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
How often have we seen the popular high school cheerleader navigate a toxic relationship with the school’s hot jock?
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
O’Dell had been eyeing a senior cheerleader standing in the aisle.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
