jeer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See scoff 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jeersimple
-
jeerssimple
-
have jeeredperfect
-
has jeeredperfect
-
am jeeringprogressive
-
are jeeringprogressive
-
is jeeringprogressive
-
have been jeeringperfect progressive
-
has been jeeringperfect progressive
Past
-
jeeredsimple
-
had jeeredperfect
-
was jeeringprogressive
-
were jeeringprogressive
-
had been jeeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jeer1
1555–65; origin uncertain; compare Old English cēir clamor, akin to cēgan to call out
Origin of jeer2
First recorded in 1485–95; origin uncertain
Explanation
As a noun, jeer is the act of scoffing, taunting, or mocking. Think of it as an anti-cheer. If you offer cheers for the visiting team and jeers for the home team, you might not be too popular in the stands. As a verb, jeer means to laugh at in a mean way. Even if you did forget the words to the national anthem, it wasn't polite for the crowd to jeer. But don't feel too bad: the last singer remembered all the words and they jeered her anyway! Tough crowd.
Vocabulary lists containing jeer
List 3
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Ghost
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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.
She brackets the body of her book with chapters that acknowledge the predicament of the modern parent—and offer encouragement—but otherwise she has written straight history that seeks to inform rather than to jeer or blame.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Many say they plan to jeer him or otherwise protest his presence.
From New York Times • May 25, 2024
It is not the whole crowd, most fans want to cheer on their team and jeer you.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2024
After those remarks, the crowd continued to jeer at the performers.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2023
He was talking, but no sound came from his mouth; searchers milled curiously in the snowy background, raising on tiptoe to jeer silently at the camera.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
