humour

American  

[hyoo-mer] / ˈhju mər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. humor.

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humour British  

/ ˈhjuːmə /

noun

1. the quality of being funny

2. Also called: sense of humour.  the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous

3. situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be humorous

4. 1. a state of mind; temper; mood

   2. ( in combination )

      ill humour

      good humour

5. temperament or disposition

6. a caprice or whim

7. any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour

8. 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

9. in a bad mood

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verb

1. to attempt to gratify; indulge

   he humoured the boy's whims

2. to adapt oneself to

   to humour someone's fantasies

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• humourlessness
  noun
• humourful
  adjective
• humourless
  adjective

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

See Examples For:

humour

"It has been the greatest imaginable honour to serve the King and Queen in my present role through such historic times and with unforgettable humour along the way," said Sir Clive.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Hailes added that he had a sense of humour and "never allowed anything to phase him. If it went wrong, he capitalised on it".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

"If humour can make important conversations accessible, why wouldn't we use it?"

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

"I wanted to set something in that landscape as a way of reconnecting with her and to write about grief with humour and a lightness of touch."

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

For some time afterward, a melancholy humour seemed to rule us as well.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood