humour
Americannoun
noun
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the quality of being funny
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Also called: sense of humour. the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous
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situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be humorous
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a state of mind; temper; mood
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( in combination )
ill humour
good humour
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temperament or disposition
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a caprice or whim
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any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour
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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
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in a bad mood
verb
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to attempt to gratify; indulge
he humoured the boy's whims
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to adapt oneself to
to humour someone's fantasies
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humour
C14: from Latin humor liquid; related to Latin ūmēre to be wet, Old Norse vökr moist, Greek hugros wet
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.
Memes and Gen-Z humour helped fuel protests over education and jobs in July, which led to the resignation of India's education minister.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
A cheeky chord injects humour into a kitchen conflab.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
"He's reading Gromit's story as Gromit put it; his inner thoughts, his candid insights and endless witticisms bringing to them his usual colour, thoughtfulness and wry humour."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Few critics praised Archer's prose style, his sense of humour, or the emotional depth of his characters.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
She was received, however, very politely by them; and in their brother’s manners there was something better than politeness; there was good humour and kindness.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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