cheer

[cheer] /tʃɪər/
noun
1.
a shout of encouragement, approval, congratulation, etc.:
The cheers of the fans filled the stadium.
2.
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!
3.
something that gives joy or gladness; encouragement; comfort:
words of cheer.
4.
a state of feeling or spirits:
Their good cheer overcame his depression.
5.
gladness, gaiety, or animation:
full of cheer and good spirits.
6.
food and drink:
tables laden with cheer.
7.
Archaic. facial expression.
interjection
8.
cheers, (used as a salutation or toast.)
verb (used with object)
9.
to salute with shouts of approval, congratulation, triumph, etc.:
The team members cheered their captain.
10.
to gladden or cause joy to; inspire with cheer (often followed by up):
The good news cheered her.
11.
to encourage or incite:
She cheered him on when he was about to give up.
verb (used without object)
12.
to utter cheers of approval, encouragement, triumph, etc.
13.
to become happier or more cheerful (often followed by up):
She cheered up as soon as the sun began to shine.
14.
Obsolete. to be or feel in a particular state of mind or spirits.
Idioms
15.
be of good cheer, (used as an exhortation to be cheerful):
Be of good cheer! Things could be much worse.
16.
with good cheer, cheerfully; willingly:
She accepted her lot with good cheer.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English chere face < Anglo-French; compare Old French chiere < Late Latin cara face, head < Greek kárā head
Related forms
cheerer, noun
cheeringly, adverb
uncheered, adjective
uncheering, adjective
well-cheered, adjective
Synonyms
3. solace. 5. joy, mirth, glee, merriment. 9. applaud. 10. exhilarate, animate. 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. (Compare eat 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. 11. inspirit.
Antonyms
10. discourage, depress.
Examples from the web for cheer up
  • The stuffed monkey dangling from the entrance to the scanner did little to cheer up the scene.
  • It's a sort of reversal of roles, with the criminal trying to cheer up the barrister.
  • So he knows whom to pick on, cheer up or excuse for the day.
  • Big changes are always painful, but cheer up, it's not all grim.
  • He had a way about him that could cheer up any situation.
  • Learn good old fashioned ideas about how to cheer up, amuse your friends and family and feel content.
  • The public wants to cheer up fire, police, emergency medical and military personnel.
British Dictionary definitions for cheer up

cheer

/tʃɪə/
verb
1.
(usually foll by up) to make or become happy or hopeful; comfort or be comforted
2.
to applaud with shouts
3.
when tr, sometimes foll by on. to encourage (a team, person, etc) with shouts, esp in contests
noun
4.
a shout or cry of approval, encouragement, etc, often using such words as hurrah! or rah! rah! rah!
5.
three cheers, three shouts of hurrah given in unison by a group to honour someone or celebrate something
6.
happiness; good spirits
7.
state of mind; spirits (archaic, except in the phrases be of good cheer, with good cheer)
8.
(archaic) provisions for a feast; fare
See also cheers
Derived Forms
cheerer, noun
cheeringly, adverb
Word Origin
C13 (in the sense: face, welcoming aspect): from Old French chere, from Late Latin cara face, from Greek kara head
Word Origin and History for cheer up

cheer

n.

c.1200, "the face," especially as expressing emotion, from Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression," from Late Latin cara "face" (source of Spanish cara), possibly from Greek kara "head," from PIE root *ker- "head" (see horn (n.)). From mid-13c. as "frame of mind, state of feeling, spirit; mood, humor."

By late 14c. the meaning had extended metaphorically to "mood, mental condition," as reflected in the face. This could be in a good or bad sense ("The feend ... beguiled her with treacherye, and brought her into a dreerye cheere," "Merline," c.1500), but a positive sense (probably short for good cheer) has predominated since c.1400. Meaning "shout of encouragement" first recorded 1720, perhaps nautical slang (cf. earlier verbal sense, "to encourage by words or deeds," early 15c.). The antique English greeting what cheer (mid-15c.) was picked up by Algonquian Indians of southern New England from the Puritans and spread in Indian languages as far as Canada.

v.

late 14c., "to cheer up, humor, console;" c.1400 as "entertain with food or drink," from cheer (n.). Related: Cheered; cheering. Sense of "to encourage by words or deeds" is early 15c. Which had focused to "salute with shouts of applause" by late 18c. Cheer up (intransitive) first attested 1670s.

Slang definitions & phrases for cheer up

cheer

Related Terms

bronx cheer


Idioms and Phrases with cheer up

cheer up

Become or make happy, raise the spirits of, as in This fine weather should cheer you up. This term may also be used as an imperative, as Shakespeare did (2 Henry IV, 4:4): “My sovereign lord, cheer up yourself.” [ Late 1500s ]

cheer

also see:
three cheers
Encyclopedia Article for cheer up

cheer

open two-wheeled vehicle that was the American adaptation of the French chaise. Its chairlike body, seating the passengers on one seat above the axle, was hung by leather braces from a pair of square wooden springs attached to the shafts

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