humour
Americannoun
noun
-
the quality of being funny
-
Also called: sense of humour. the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous
-
situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be humorous
-
-
a state of mind; temper; mood
-
( in combination )
ill humour
good humour
-
-
temperament or disposition
-
a caprice or whim
-
any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour
-
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
-
in a bad mood
verb
-
to attempt to gratify; indulge
he humoured the boy's whims
-
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.
While his illness is terminal, Josh said keeping his sense of humour and making memories remained his top priorities, as well as raising awareness to boost brain tumour research funding.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"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
And when they turned to humour, it was almost always self-directed: joking about the kilometres logged fleeing baton charges or the absurdity of filming an outfit reveal moments before running into tear gas.
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
“And I should be extremely miserable,” he answered, suddenly finding himself in intense good humour.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
