Standard Lemma guide

cheerleader

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtʃɪə(ɹ)ˌliːdə(ɹ)/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: CH IH1 R L IY2 D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person, usually a young, attractive female, who encourages applause and cheers at a sports event, and wearing a specially-designed uniform in the official colors of the team he/she cheers for.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who rallies support for any cause.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: gloomleader

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone who leads the cheers by spectators at a sporting event

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: leader

4

noun

Meaning 4

an enthusiastic and vocal supporter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he has become a cheerleader for therapeutic cloning

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supporter, protagonist, champion, admirer, booster, friend

History

Etymology

From cheer + leader.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: rasieleier — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Bulgarian: мажоре́тка (mažorétka) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Chinese Mandarin: 拉拉隊員 /拉拉队员 (lālāduìyuán) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Czech: roztleskávačka — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Danish: cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Dutch: cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Esperanto: kuraĝigistino — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Finnish: cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • French: pom-pom girl — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • French: cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • German: Cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • German: Cheerleaderin — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Hungarian: vezérszurkoló — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Hungarian: pomponlány — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Icelandic: klappstýra — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Japanese: チアリーダー (chiarīdā) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Japanese: チアガール (chiagāru) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Kazakh: жанкүйер (janküier) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Korean: 치어리더 (chieorideo) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Korean: 치어걸 (chieogeol) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Latvian: karsējmeitene — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Macedonian: мажоре́тка (mažorétka) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Macedonian: нави́вачка (navívačka) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Malay: ketua penyorak — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Polish: czirliderka — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Polish: cheerleaderka — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Portuguese: líder de torcida — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Portuguese: líder de claque — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Portuguese: cheerleader — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Portuguese: animadora de torcida — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Romanian: majoretă — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Russian: чирли́дер (čirlíder) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Russian: чирли́дерша (čirlíderša) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Spanish: porrista — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Spanish: animadora — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Swedish: hejaklacksledare — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Vietnamese: hoạt náo viên — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Yiddish: הוראַניק (huranik) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Yiddish: הוראַניצע (huranitse) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Yiddish: הוראַ־שרײַער (hura-shrayer) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Yiddish: הוראַ־שרײַערין (hura-shrayerin) — person (usually female) who encourages applause
  • Bulgarian: раде́тел (radétel) — person who rallies support for any cause
  • Chinese Mandarin: 支持者 (zhīchízhě) — person who rallies support for any cause
  • Finnish: kellokas — person who rallies support for any cause
  • Hungarian: hangadó — person who rallies support for any cause
Real reading context

cheerleader in complete knowledge articles