cheer·lead·er
ˈchir-ˌlē-dər
: one that calls for and directs organized cheering (as at a football game)
cheerlead
2 of 2verb, transitive + intransitive
cheer·lead
ˈchir-ˌlēd
cheerleaded also cheerled
ˈchir-ˌled
; cheerleading; cheerleads
1
intransitive
: to call for and direct organized cheering (as at a football game)
Only in its second year of existence, the Jr. Hurricanes cheerlead at football games played by elementary and middle school boys.—Robert Storace, New Britain (Connecticut) Herald, 19 Nov. 2012
2
transitive + intransitive
: to express enthusiastic support for something or someone in an effort to gain support from others
The senate Hatch bill to create a national asbestos victim trust fund is being cheerleaded by Vice President Dick Cheney.—Marshfield News (Wisconsin), 11 Feb. 2006
She would eventually cheerlead for the filmmakers who became her friends, involve herself in casting decisions, rhapsodically review "Nashville" months before it was finished …—Janet Maslin, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Cheerleader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheerleader. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.
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