Cheer is a common English word with several related meanings. It can mean to make someone feel happier, to become happier yourself, to give supporthelp or encouragement given to someone or encouragementwords or actions that give confidence and hope, or to shout approval. As a noun, it can also mean a feeling or quality of brightnessa lively, cheerful quality or appearance and cheerfulness, or the shout of approval itself.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /tʃɪr/
Easy pronunciation: CHEER (approximate spelling).
Stress: One syllable, so it is fully stressed.
Verb meaning to make someone feel happier or less sad.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Cheer Meaning
to make someone feel better or less sad
Part of speech: verb
Definition: cause somebody to feel happier or more cheerful
Example: She tried to cheer up the disappointed child after he lost the spelling bee.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- cheer up — Common and direct for making someone feel happier.
- jolly along — Works in some contexts, but is more informal and less common.
- jolly up — Used in British English; means to make someone happier or more lively.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Cheer
Meaning 2
to start feeling happier
Part of speech: verb
Definition: become cheerful
Example: Try to cheer up after a rough day.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- cheer up — Also used for the intransitive sense.
- chirk up — A less common informal synonym for becoming cheerier.
Meaning 3
to give someone courage or support
Part of speech: verb
Definition: give encouragement to
Example: Her kind words cheered him before the interview.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- embolden — Appropriate when the meaning is to make someone bolder or more confident.
- hearten — A good substitute when the sense is to encourage or lift someone’s spirits.
- recreate — Listed in the source, but this is not a normal modern synonym for this sense and is very rare or misleading.
Meaning 4
a cheerful, bright feeling or mood
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
Example: The flowers added a note of cheer to the drab room.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- cheerfulness — Direct noun synonym for the quality of being cheerful.
- sunniness — Works well for a bright, cheerful quality.
- sunshine — Often used figuratively for brightness or warmth in mood.
Meaning 5
to urge a person or team forward with loud support
Part of speech: verb
Definition: spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
Example: The crowd cheered on the runners in the final lap.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- barrack — In some varieties of English, but it can also mean heckle, so it is not a safe general synonym.
- exhort — Means urge strongly, but is more formal and not the same as cheering with shouts.
- inspire — Related, but broader than this sense.
- pep up — Works when the idea is to energize or encourage.
- root on — Good informal synonym for supporting someone loudly.
- urge — Related, but broader and less specific.
- urge on — Good match for encouraging someone to continue.
Meaning 6
to shout support or approval
Part of speech: verb
Definition: show approval or good wishes by shouting
Example: Everybody cheered when the birthday boy walked in.
Meaning 7
a loud shout that shows approval or support
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a cry or shout of approval
Example: The team got a loud cheer from the crowd.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Cheer Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- cheer up
- jolly along
- jolly up
to become cheerful
- cheer up
- chirk up
to give encouragement to
- embolden
- hearten
the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
- cheerfulness
- sunniness
- sunshine
to spur on or encourage with cheers and shouts
- pep up
- root on
- urge on
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Mixing up cheer meaning 'shout approval' with cheer meaning 'make someone happier'.
- Using cheerfulness as a synonym for the verb cheer.
- Assuming root on or urge on can always replace cheer in every sentence.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main meaning of cheer?
The most common everyday meaning is to make someone feel happier or less sad, as in cheer up.
Is cheer a noun or a verb?
It can be both. As a verb, it can mean to encourage, support, or shout approval. As a noun, it can mean a shout of approval or a cheerful feeling.
What is a simple synonym for cheer?
For the common verb meaning, cheer up is the closest simple synonym.
Does cheer always mean to shout?
No. It can also mean to make someone happier or to feel happier yourself.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.