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Synonyms

jeer

1 American  
[jeer] / dʒɪər /

verb (used without object)

  1. to speak or shout derisively; scoff or gibe rudely.

    Don't jeer unless you can do better.
    Synonyms:
    jest, sneer

verb (used with object)

  1. to shout derisively at; taunt.

    Synonyms:
    fleer, flout, ridicule, deride

  2. to treat with scoffs or derision; mock.

    Synonyms:
    fleer, flout, ridicule, deride

  3. to drive away by derisive shouts (followed by out of, off, etc.).

    They jeered the speaker off the stage.

noun

  1. a jeering utterance; derisive or rude gibe.

jeer 2 American  
[jeer] / dʒɪər /

noun

Nautical.

  1. any of various combinations of tackles for raising or lowering heavy yards.

jeer British  
/ dʒɪə /

verb

  1. (often foll by at) to laugh or scoff (at a person or thing); mock

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a remark or cry of derision; gibe; taunt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See scoff 1.

Other Word Forms

  • jeerer noun
  • jeering adjective
  • jeeringly adverb
  • unjeered adjective
  • unjeering adjective

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

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

Fans waited for the manager to head down the tunnel to jeer him, while some supporters had already questioned Marinakis, turning to his position in the Peter Taylor Stand to gesture their displeasure.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

Many say they plan to jeer him or otherwise protest his presence.

From New York Times • May 25, 2024

In the 25-second clip, Bundy shakes his head and says something inaudible to a deputy while some attendees jeer and shout at the arresting officers.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 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.