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

"His sense of humour was rooted in his genuine connection. He showed that a presenter doesn't need to be heard, they simply need to care."

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Badenoch paid tribute to the former Conservative minister as a woman of "high principle" with a "wicked sense of humour".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Those who worked with him recall his dry sense of humour and practical jokes, the comparatively modest car he drove and how he did not get dragged down by the inevitable setbacks of the game.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 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

‘You have a strange sense of humour, girl. What are you laughing about?’

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan