Adjacent Words

Cheer definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CHEER, v.t.
1. To salute with shouts of joy, or cheers.
2. To dispel gloom, sorrow, silence or apathy; to cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful; as, to cheer a lonely desert; the cheering rays of the sun; good news cheers the heart.
3. To infuse life; spirit, animation; to incite; to encourage; as, to cheer the hounds.
CHEER, v.i. To grow cheerful; to become gladsome, or joyous.
At sight of thee my gloomy soul cheers up.
Cheer up, my lads.
CHEER, n.
1. A shout of joy; as, they gave three cheers.
2. A state of gladness or joy; a state of animation, above gloom and depression of spirits, but below mirth, gayety and jollity.
Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee. Matthew 9.
Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. Acts 27.
3. Mirth; gayety; jollity; as at a feast.
4. Invitation to gayety.
5. Entertainment; that which makes cheerful; provisions for a feast.
The table was loaded with good cheer.
6. Air of countenance, noting a greater or less degree of cheerfulness.
His words their drooping cheer Enlightened.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a cry or shout of approval
2: the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom; "flowers added a note of cheerfulness to the drab room" [syn: cheerfulness, cheer, sunniness, sunshine] [ant: uncheerfulness] v
1: give encouragement to [syn: cheer, hearten, recreate, embolden] [ant: dishearten, put off]
2: show approval or good wishes by shouting; "everybody cheered the birthday boy"
3: cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful; "She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee" [syn: cheer, cheer up, jolly along, jolly up]
4: become cheerful [syn: cheer, cheer up, chirk up] [ant: complain, kick, kvetch, plain, quetch, sound off]
5: spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers" [syn: cheer, root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English chere face, cheer, from Anglo-French, face, from Medieval Latin cara, probably from Greek kara head, face — more at cerebral Date: 13th century 1. a. obsolete face b. archaic facial expression 2. state of mind or heart ; spirit <be of good cheer — Matthew
9:2(Authorized Version)> 3. lightness of mind and feeling ; animation, gaiety 4. hospitable entertainment ; welcome 5. food and drink for a feast ; fare 6. something that gladdens <words of cheer> 7. a shout of applause or encouragement II. verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to instill with hope or courage ; comfort — usually used with up b. to make glad or happy — usually used with up 2. to urge on or encourage especially by shouts <cheered the team on> 3. to applaud with shouts intransitive verb 1. obsolete to be mentally or emotionally disposed 2. to grow or be cheerful ; rejoice — usually used with up 3. to utter a shout of applause or triumph • cheerer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a shout of encouragement or applause. 2 mood, disposition (full of good cheer). 3 (in pl.; as int.) Brit. colloq. a expressing good wishes on parting or before drinking. b expressing gratitude. --v. 1 tr. a applaud with shouts. b (usu. foll. by on) urge or encourage with shouts. 2 intr. shout for joy. 3 tr. gladden; comfort. Phrases and idioms: cheer-leader a person who leads cheers of applause etc. cheer up make or become less depressed. three cheers three successive hurrahs for a person or thing honoured. Etymology: ME f. AF chere face etc., OF chiere f. LL cara face f. Gk kara head

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cheer Cheer (ch[=e]r), n. [OE. chere face, welcome, cheer, OF. chiere, F. ch[`e]re, fr. LL. cara face, Gr. ? head; akin to Skr. [,c]iras, L. cerebrum brain, G. hirn, and E. cranium.] 1. The face; the countenance or its expression. [Obs.] ``Sweat of thy cheer.'' --Wyclif. 2. Feeling; spirit; state of mind or heart. Be of good cheer. --Matt. ix. 2. The parents . . . fled away with heavy cheer. --Holland. 3. Gayety; mirth; cheerfulness; animation. I have not that alacrity of spirit, Nor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have. --Shak. 1. That which promotes good spirits or cheerfulness; provisions prepared for a feast; entertainment; as, a table loaded with good cheer. 5. A shout, hurrah, or acclamation, expressing joy enthusiasm, applause, favor, etc. Welcome her, thundering cheer of the street. --Tennyson. Whzt cheer? Now do you fare? What is there that is cheering?

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cheer Cheer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cheered; p. pr. & vb. n. cheering.] 1. To cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful; -- often with up. --Cowpe. 2. To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort. The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered. --Dryden. 3. To salute or applaud with cheers; to urge on by cheers; as, to cheer hounds in a chase. To cheer ship, to salute a passing ship by cheers of sailors stationed in the rigging. Syn: To gladden; encourage; inspirit; comfort; console; enliven; refresh; exhilarate; animate; applaud.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cheer Cheer, v. i. 1. To grow cheerful; to become gladsome or joyous; -- usually with up. At sight of thee my gloomy soul cheers up. --A. Philips. 2. To be in any state or temper of mind. [Obs.] How cheer'st thou, Jessica? --Shak. 3. To utter a shout or shouts of applause, triumph, etc. And even the ranks of Tusculum Could scare forbear to cheer. --Macaulay.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(cheers, cheering, cheered) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. When people cheer, they shout loudly to show their approval or to encourage someone who is doing something such as taking part in a game. The crowd cheered as Premier Wayne Goss unveiled a lifesize statue of poet Banjo Paterson... Swiss fans cheered Jakob Hlasek during yesterday's match with Courier. ...the Irish Americans who came to the park to cheer for their boys... Cheering crowds lined the route. ? boo, jeer VERB: V, V n, V for n, V-ing • Cheer is also a noun. The colonel was rewarded with a resounding cheer from the men. N-COUNT 2. If you are cheered by something, it makes you happier or less worried. Stephen noticed that the people around him looked cheered by his presence... The weather was perfect for a picnic, he told himself, but the thought did nothing to cheer him. = hearten ? sadden VERB: be V-ed, V n • cheering ...very cheering news... = heartening ? disheartening ADJ 3. People sometimes say 'Cheers' to each other just before they drink an alcoholic drink. (mainly BRIT) CONVENTION [formulae] 4. Some people say 'Cheers' as a way of saying 'thank you' or 'goodbye'. (BRIT INFORMAL) CONVENTION [formulae]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Gladness, joy, gayety, mirth, merriment. See cheerfulness. 2. Entertainment, provisions, food, repast, viands, victuals. 3. Acclamation, shout of applause, huzza, hurrah. II. v. a. 1. Gladden, exhilarate, inspirit, enliven, animate, incite, encourage. 2. Comfort, console, solace, make cheerful. 3. Applaud, clap, salute with cheers.

Moby Thesaurus

abide by, accede, accept, acclaim, acclamation, acquiesce, acquiesce in, afford hope, agree, agree to, agree with, alleluia, animate, applaud, applause, assent, assure, augur well, bark, battle cry, bawl, bear up, beatification, beatitude, bellow, bewitchment, bid fair, big hand, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, blitheness, blithesomeness, board, bolster, boost, brace, brace up, bread, bread and butter, brighten, brightness, brisk, brisken, buck up, buoy up, buoyancy, burst of applause, buy, call, caterwaul, cheer on, cheer up, cheerfulness, cheeriness, cheery vein, chirk up, chorus of cheers, clap, clap the hands, clapping, clapping of hands, cloud nine, comestibles, comfort, comply, condole with, consent, consolation, console, conviviality, creature comfort, cry, cry for joy, cuisine, daily bread, delectation, delight, disposition, drive on, ease, eatables, eclat, ecstasy, ecstatics, edibles, egg on, elate, elation, embolden, enchantment, encore, encourage, encouragement, enliven, eupeptic mien, exaltation, exhilarate, exhilaration, exuberance, fare, fast food, feast, felicity, festivity, food, food and drink, foodstuff, fortify, frame of mind, fresh up, freshen, freshen up, gaiety, geniality, give a cheer, give a hand, give a lift, give comfort, give hope, give the nod, gladden, gladness, gladsomeness, glee, goad on, good cheer, hail, hallelujah, halloo, hand, handclap, handclapping, happiness, hasten on, have good prospects, health food, hear it for, hearten, heartiness, heaven, hie on, high spirits, hold out hope, hold out promise, hold with, holler, hollo, hooray, hoot, hopefulness, hosanna, hound on, howl, hurrah, hurray, hurry on, huzzah, in toto, ingesta, inspire, inspire hope, inspirit, intoxication, invigorate, jollity, joviality, joy, joyance, joyfulness, junk food, justify hope, kitchen stuff, lift up, liven, make fair promise, meat, merriment, merrymaking, mirth, nerve, nod, nod assent, optimism, ovation, overhappiness, overjoyfulness, paean, paradise, perk up, pick up, plaudit, pleasantness, popularity, promise, provender, provision, put at ease, quicken, radiance, rah, raise expectations, raise hope, rallying cry, rapture, ravishment, reanimate, reassure, receive, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regale, reinvigorate, rejoice, rejoice the heart, relieve, renew, revelry, revive, revivify, roar, root, root for, root on, rosy expectation, round of applause, sanguine humor, sanguineness, scream, screech, set at ease, set up, seventh heaven, shout, shout hosanna, shriek, solace, speed on, spirit, spread, spur on, squall, squawk, squeal, steel, stimulate, strengthen, subscribe to, sunniness, sunshine, support, sustenance, sympathize with, table, take kindly to, thunder of applause, transport, tucker, unalloyed happiness, uplift, urge on, viands, victuals, vitalize, vittles, vivify, vote for, war cry, war whoop, warm, welcome, whip on, whoop, winsomeness, yammer, yap, yawl, yawp, yell, yelp, yes, yield assent, yippee, yo-ho, yowl