cheer
Americannoun
-
cheers
plural
-
a shout of encouragement, approval, congratulation, etc..
The cheers of the fans filled the stadium.
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a set or traditional form of shout used by spectators to encourage or show enthusiasm for an athletic team, contestant, etc., as rah! rah! rah!
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something that gives joy or gladness; encouragement; comfort.
words of cheer.
- Synonyms:
- solace
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a state of feeling or spirits.
She entered his room promptly at 7 a.m. with her usual good cheer.
-
gladness, gaiety, or animation.
Festivities will continue all week, with events and attractions spreading holiday cheer across the city.
-
food and drink.
tables laden with cheer.
-
Archaic. facial expression.
interjection
verb (used with object)
-
cheers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cheered,
past participle, past
-
cheering
present participle
-
to salute with shouts of approval, congratulation, triumph, etc..
The team members cheered their captain.
- Synonyms:
- applaud
-
to gladden or cause joy to; inspire with cheer (often followed byup ).
The good news cheered her.
- Synonyms:
- animate, exhilarate
- Antonyms:
- dispirit, depress, dishearten, discourage
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to encourage or incite.
She cheered him on when he was about to give up.
- Synonyms:
- inspirit
verb (used without object)
-
cheers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cheered,
past participle, past
-
cheering
present participle
-
to utter cheers of approval, encouragement, triumph, etc.
-
to become happier or more cheerful (often followed byup ).
She cheered up as soon as the sun began to shine.
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Obsolete. to be or feel in a particular state of mind or spirits.
idioms
-
be of good cheer, (used as an exhortation to be cheerful).
Be of good cheer! Things could be much worse.
-
with good cheer, cheerfully; willingly.
She accepted her lot with good cheer.
verb
-
(usually foll by up) to make or become happy or hopeful; comfort or be comforted
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to applaud with shouts
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to encourage (a team, person, etc) with shouts, esp in contests
noun
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a shout or cry of approval, encouragement, etc, often using such words as hurrah! or rah! rah! rah!
-
three shouts of hurrah given in unison by a group to honour someone or celebrate something
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happiness; good spirits
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state of mind; spirits (archaic, except in the phrases be of good cheer, with good cheer )
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archaic provisions for a feast; fare
Usage
What does cheer mean? A cheer is a shout or cry of encouragement, approval, or agreement, as in When the band took the stage, the crowd gave a loud cheer. Cheer is also something that gives joy or encouragement, as in a letter that contains good cheer. To cheer is to shout or cry of approval or encouragement, as in The fans cheered the home every time they made a goal. To cheer is also to inspire with cheer, as in Petting my dog always cheers me up when I’m sad. Example: The crowd cheered as the team scored the game winning touchdown.
Synonym Usage
Cheer, gladden, enliven mean to make happy or lively. To cheer is to comfort, to restore hope and cheerfulness to (now often cheer up, when thoroughness, a definite time, or a particular point in the action is referred to): to cheer a sick person; She soon cheered him up. To gladden does not imply a state of sadness to begin with, but suggests bringing pleasure or happiness to someone: to gladden someone's heart with good news. Enliven suggests bringing vivacity and liveliness: to enliven a dull evening, a party.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cheersimple
-
cheerssimple
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have cheeredperfect
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has cheeredperfect
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am cheeringprogressive
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are cheeringprogressive
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is cheeringprogressive
-
have been cheeringperfect progressive
-
has been cheeringperfect progressive
Past
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cheeredsimple
-
had cheeredperfect
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was cheeringprogressive
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were cheeringprogressive
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had been cheeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cheer
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English chere “face,” from Anglo-French; compare Old French chiere, from Late Latin cara “face, head,” from Greek kárā “head”
Explanation
A cheer is what you shout at a sporting event when you cheer your team on, showing your enthusiasm and support. Often there's a lot of cheer or good spirits at these games, unless of course your favorite team loses. The word cheer comes from the Old French chiere, meaning "face." When you cheer someone on, you show approval, whether on your face through a smile, or by shouting encouragement. Cheer is also a quality of being sunny or happy. You can cheer someone up by being silly or entertaining. Or, you could raise a glass to them and toast, "Cheers!"
Vocabulary lists containing cheer
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 2
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
And while I was more than happy to cheer on my peers, I also wanted to win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"There was a motivation of trying to prove myself that I could still compete and give Max something to cheer about, so I got back in training again."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Viewers return to cheer, judge and see whether the balances went up or down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The holidays are not necessarily a time of goodwill and cheer if you are working in retail.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The children scurried to obey, and Penelope could not help thinking that the eagerness and good cheer of her students was the very best present of all.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The loudest cheers came from the Turkish fans.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Then he downed the champagne to loud cheers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Man, it feels good to be home," Vance said to cheers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
More horrifying still, his statement was met by extended cheers from his exuberant audience of nearly 6,000 people who showed up in Nebraska on Oct.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Our little army erupts in cheers, ready to charge through a wall for this old fellow.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
As the sold-out crowd cheered, Monáe shuddered, slipping into her best Sissy Spacek as she lamented, “They’re all gonna laugh at me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Attendees cheered the arrival of “dots” – OpenAI's version of AI agents which will run continuously and ask users to approve sensitive actions.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Some Cleveland Browns fans cheered when quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury in 2024.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The AI building boom, which the White House has cheered, is driving up the cost of chips, electrical components and power equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Crowds cheered us, and a little girl ran out and gave me a pink flower.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
"I'm excited to keep uplifting my friends and cheering them on as they reach for the Moon. Together, we'll keep pushing boundaries and inspiring the next giant leap."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
As loud as my fellow Philadelphians root for the Eagles, I will keep cheering on Grüner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
The "furious" earl has denied claims he is writing the memoir for money and has said Diana would be "cheering from the rafters" at the book.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Please delete this,” she urged French on X. “This post breaks my heart. I see college kids cheering on their football team. I see Texans.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
“How come Rhys wasn’t there? Thought for sure he’d be in the front row, cheering you on.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
