cheer
Americannoun
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cheers
plural
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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.
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gladness, gaiety, or animation.
Festivities will continue all week, with events and attractions spreading holiday cheer across the city.
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food and drink.
tables laden with cheer.
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Archaic. facial expression.
interjection
verb (used with object)
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cheers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cheered,
past participle, past
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cheering
present participle
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to salute with shouts of approval, congratulation, triumph, etc..
The team members cheered their captain.
- Synonyms:
- applaud
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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.
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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
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be of good cheer, (used as an exhortation to be cheerful).
Be of good cheer! Things could be much worse.
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with good cheer, cheerfully; willingly.
She accepted her lot with good cheer.
verb
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(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!
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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
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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
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have been cheeringperfect progressive
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has been cheeringperfect progressive
Past
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cheeredsimple
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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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
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:
Let’s all join in a big pep squad cheer — gimme an E! — for Eric Sondheimer’s 50th anniversary covering high school sports in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Lumentum Holdings sees big opportunities in its future, and that’s reason enough for investors to cheer the broader optical-electronics industry on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Some leap over flame as friends raise phones and cheer.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
“No matter who you cheer for or where you listen, it brings you closer to the teams and voices that matter most to you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Trying to cheer him up, I added, “I got good news, Papá. I was elected student body president and my friend was elected treasurer.”
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
After years of disrepair, the once opulent Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino came tumbling down to cheers from onlookers who had all paid $10 to watch the demolition from their cars.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Early in the night, cheers threatened to overwhelm her between-song banter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Carlos Irving Quintana, a slim 14-year-old with purple hair, wins cheers of approval with his enactment of the iconic "Siuuu" leap of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo when he scores a goal.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
The men's team also led for most of the final, with Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe and then 200m silver medallist Zharnel Hughes safely guiding the baton around to huge cheers inside Alexander Stadium.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
As the cheers and applause at the end of each act got louder, I became more and more nervous.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
More often than not, particularly in the past three years, Wall Street has cheered their message.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
They broke into cheers and applause, cheered again when the eclipse ended, and once more an hour later when the sun set, a burnished ocher illuminating Léon’s cathedral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Scream” fans cheered during an early screening when Panettiere’s character appeared — she and Courtney Cox were one of the few “Scream” veterans to return for the new film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Fans of the opposing Golden State Valkyries cheered Carrington’s return to Chase Center after the outrage over her Aug. 8 flagrant foul against Cunningham.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The gathered crowd cheered and clapped for him.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
By the time you read this, I will be at a bar cheering on Crystal Palace FC—an English Premier League team founded in 1905—which I have been a fan of for exactly two weeks now.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Now McCrumby and his basketball teammates are out there cheering him on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the middle of a cheering crowd in Mexico City, two teenagers are limbering up for battle.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
"They were all cheering and jeering, doing things that they would never normally do," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Joe, Frank, and the rest of the Bandits leaped to their feet, cheering and screaming.
From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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.
