Basic+ Word of the Day: cheer

cheer (noun, verb) past tense: cheered

A cheering fan

A cheer can be a shout of encouragement.

• You could hear a cheer from the crowd when the batter hit a home run.

A cheer can also be special words that fans say to an athletic team.

• The fans shouted the cheer, "Go team."

To cheer means ‘to shout words of encouragement.’

• When the candidate promised to reduce taxes, the people cheered.

To cheer up is ‘to be happier.’

• After the storm, Felice cheered up when she saw the rainbow.
• "Cheer up. It could be worse.'

To cheer up someone means ‘to make them happier.’

• Amanda cheered up her friend after his divorce.

In pop culture

Cheers, always in the plural, is a common toast and greeting, especially in the UK. Example: They raised their drinks and said, “Cheers.”

Related words

Cheerleaders are people who lead the crowd in cheering at athletic events. Their cheers often include elaborate choreography and gymnastics. Most people think that cheerleading is a girls’ sport. Watch these five guys as they learn to cheerlead.

There are other meanings of cheer.