cheer

cheer

See also: Cheer and çheer

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɪə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɪɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English chere, from Old French chere, from Old French chiere, from Late Latin cara.

Noun

cheer (countable and uncountable, plural cheers)

1. (uncountable) A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or positive mood. [from 14th c.]
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene iii]:

     I have not that alacrity of spirit, / Nor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have.

2. (now uncountable) That which promotes good spirits or cheerfulness, especially food and entertainment prepared for a festive occasion.

   a table loaded with good cheer

   • 1828, James Hogg, Mary Burnet

     "And am I to meet my Mary at Moffat? Come away, little, dear, welcome body, thou blessed of heaven, come away, and taste of an auld shepherd's best cheer, and I'll gang foot for foot with you to Moffat, and my auld wife shall gang foot for foot with us too. I tell you, little, blessed, and welcome crile, come along with me."

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     “ […] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes like
       Here's rattling good luck and roaring good cheer, / With lashings of food and great hogsheads of beer. […].”

3. (countable) A cry expressing joy, approval or support, such as "hurrah". [from 18th c.]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:applause

   Antonym: boo

   Three cheers for the birthday boy!

   A cheer rose from the crowd.

   • 1864, Alfred Tennyson, “A Welcome to Alexandria. March 7, 1863.”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], OCLC 879237670, page 164:

     Welcome her, thunders of fort and of fleet! / Welcome her, thundering cheer of the street!

4. (countable) A chant made in support of a team at a sports event.
5. (obsolete) One's facial expression or countenance. [13th–19th c.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “viij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XIII:

     And soo on the morne they were alle accorded that they shold departe eueryche from other / And on the morne they departed with wepynge chere / and euery knyȝt took the way that hym lyked best

     And so they all agreed that they should depart from each other in the morning / And in the morning they departed with weeping faces / and every knight took the way that pleased him best

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 50, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     Heraclitus taking pitie and compassion of the very same condition of ours, was continually seene with a sad, mournfull, and heavie cheere [translating visage], and with teares trickling downe his blubbered eyes.

   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:

     ‘thorough evill rest of this last night, / Or ill apayd or much dismayd ye be; / That by your change of cheare is easie for to see.’

6. (archaic) One's attitude, mood. [from 14th c.]
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], OCLC 762018299, Mark ]:

     And anon he talked with them, and sayde unto them: be of good chere, it is I, be not afrayed.

   • 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], OCLC 12997447:

     The parents […] fled away with heavy cheer.

Derived terms

• Bronx cheer
• cheerful
• Christmas cheer (noun)
• cup that cheers
• in good cheer
• three cheers
• what cheer
• wotcher

 

Translations

a cheerful attitude; gaiety

Bulgarian: настроение (bg) n (nastroenie) Finnish: iloisuus (fi), hilpeys (fi) Greek: ζητωκραυγή (el) (zitokravgí), χαιρετισμός (el) (chairetismós), επευφημία (el) (epeffimía) Ancient: εὐφροσύνη f (euphrosúnē) Hungarian: jókedv (hu), vidámság (hu), jó hangulat Italian: buonumore (it) m Spanish: alegría (es) f

a cry of "hurrah", "hurray", "yeah", or some other word expressing joy

Bulgarian: одобрително възклицание (odobritelno vǎzklicanie) Esperanto: hurao Finnish: hurraahuuto, kannustushuuto Greek: χαιροκροτώ (chairokrotó), ζητωκραυγάζω (el) (zitokravgázo), επευφημώ (el) (epeffimó), χαιρετίζω (el) (chairetízo), χαροποιώ (el) (charopoió) Hebrew: תשואות (tshu'ot) f pl Hungarian: éljen (hu) Malay: sorakan (ms) Maori: umere Norwegian: heiarop n Persian: هلهله‎ (fa) (halhale) Spanish: hurra (es) Swedish: hejaramsa c Yiddish: אָוואַציע‎ f (ovatsye)

Verb

cheer (third-person singular simple present cheers, present participle cheering, simple past and past participle cheered)

1. (transitive) To gladden; to make cheerful; often with up.

   We were cheered by the offer of a cup of tea.

2. (transitive) To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort.
   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Character of a Good Parson; Imitated from Chaucer, and Inlarg’d”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415:

     The proud he tam'd, the penitent he cheer'd.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To encourage to do something.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene vi:

     Let’s cheere our ſouldiers to incounter him, […]
     And burne him in the fury of that flame,
     That none can quench but blood and Empery.

4. (transitive, intransitive) To applaud or encourage with cheers or shouts.

   Antonym: boo

   The crowd cheered in support of the athletes.

   The crowd cheered the athletes.

5. (transitive, figurative) To feel or express enthusiasm for (something).

   The finance sector will cheer this decision.

Derived terms

• cheer-off
• cheer on
• cheers
• cheer ship
• cheer to the echo
• cheer up
• cheery

 

Translations

to make cheerful

Finnish: ilahduttaa (fi) German: aufheitern (de), erfreuen (de), aufmuntern (de) Hungarian: felvidít (hu), felderít (hu), jókedvre derít Italian: esultare (it) Latin: hilarō, laetificō Maori: manahau, manamanahau, whakakoakoa Sanskrit: प्रीणाति (sa) (prīṇāti)

to infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort — see inspirit,‎ solace#Verb,‎ comfort#Verb

to shout a cheer or cheers

Ainu: ヤヨパㇻセチュイ (yayoparsecuy) Bulgarian: аплодирам (bg) (aplodiram) Chinese: Mandarin: 歡呼／欢呼 (zh) (huānhū), 喝彩 (zh) (hècǎi, hēcǎi)/喝采 (zh) (hècǎi, hēcǎi), 助威 (zh) (zhùwēi), 助陣／助阵 (zh) (zhùzhèn) Danish: heppe Esperanto: hurai, plifervorigi Finnish: hurrata (fi), kannustaa (fi) French: applaudir (fr), acclamer (fr) German: laut rufen und klatschen, jubeln (de), aufmuntern (de), aufheitern (de), applaudieren (de) Hungarian: éljenez (hu), drukkol (hu), szurkol (hu), buzdít (hu), biztat (hu), éltet (hu), tapsol (hu) Italian: incitare (it) Japanese: 喝采する (ja) (かっさいする, kassai suru), 声援する (ja) (せいえんする, seien suru), 励ます (ja) (はげます, hagemasu) Khmer: please add this translation if you can Maori: umere, titihaoa, titihawa, hūrē Norwegian: heie (no) Portuguese: aclamar (pt) Russian: аплоди́ровать (ru) (aplodírovatʹ) (applaud), приве́тствовать (ru) (privétstvovatʹ) (greet), поощря́ть (ru) (pooščrjátʹ) (encourage), воодушевля́ть (ru) (vooduševljátʹ) (encourage, cheer up), подба́дривать (ru) (podbádrivatʹ) (encourage, cheer up), ликова́ть (ru) (likovátʹ) (exult) Spanish: aclamar (es) Swedish: hurra (sv), heja (sv) Thai: เชียร์ (th) (chiia) Vietnamese: cổ vũ

Etymology 2

Clipping of cheerleading.

Noun

cheer (uncountable)

1. (chiefly Canada, US) Cheerleading, especially when practiced as a competitive sport.

   Alex participated in cheer all four years of college.

   I'm going to wear my new cheer shoes at cheer today.

   • 1999, Jim Lord and Chris Calvert. Cheerleading: Where Does Your Gym Fit In?.

     ...[P]erspective [sic] gym cheer programs must address how to support a cheer program while maintaining appropriate and safe skill progressions.

   • 2000, Linda Villarosa. Cheerleading Changes, and Injuries Increase in The New York Times.

     Last year, more than 75,000 high school participants took part in cheerleading competitions, and the National Federation of State High School Associations says that "competitive cheer" is the fastest growing sport for girls.

   • 2018, Chad Thompson. Iowa Central cheer team is tops at national competition in The Messenger.

     The Iowa Central Community College cheer team has achieved something no other college in Iowa has before.

Derived terms

• cheer pheasant
• cheer squad

Anagrams

• Erech, reech