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
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.
No prizes for guessing that France is the loudest nuclear cheerleader.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins has taken on double duty as both the financial industry’s top regulator and the most prominent cheerleader for the U.S. public equity markets.
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
Stacy Keibler, a retired wrestler and cheerleader, got to spend Van Der Beek’s final days with him, which she described as “a true gift from God.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
Throughout the turmoil, one person has been a consistent cheerleader: Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor, who co-founded the company in 1989.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
And who but my mother could’ve understood the magnitude of driving me to junior cheerleader tryouts?
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
