cheerleader

noun cheer·lead·er \ ˈchir-ˌlē-dər \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Examples: cheerleader in a Sentence

Definition of cheerleader

: one that calls for and directs organized cheering (as at a football game)

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cheerlead

play \-ˌlēd\ verb, transitive + intransitive

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cheerleading

play \-ˌlē-diŋ\ noun

See cheerleader defined for English-language learners

See cheerleader defined for kids

Examples of cheerleader in a Sentence

a politician who is a cheerleader for the government's new economic plan

Recent Examples of cheerleader from the Web

Friday’s performers included student musicians from Melody Mart USA music store, cheerleaders from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, martial arts students from ATA Karate for Kids and dance students from the American Dance Center.

— ted slowik, Daily Southtown, "Slowik: Homewood takes spotlight on 'WGN Morning News' live block party broadcast," 13 July 2018
Beck worked with director Peyton Reed on the first Ant-Man, but their relationship dates back to the 2000 cheerleader comedy Bring It On, which was the first feature for both of them.

— aaron couch, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ant-Man and the Wasp' Composer on Working to "Make People Cry"," 13 July 2018
Feel free to take a break from the taters and strike a pose in the photo booth or get some temporary ink work done by Boise State University cheerleaders.

— michelle jenkins, idahostatesman, "It's never been easier, or maybe greasier, to support The Idaho Foodbank: Just eat fries!," 7 July 2018
Currently, Washington’s football-team cheerleaders are claiming that they were forced to pose topless while VIP team members watched.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Outgoing Carolina Panthers Owner Hit With Light Fine by the NFL for Being an Insufferable Sexual Miscreant," 29 June 2018
Now, Azalea’s iconic cheerleader costume has been sold on eBay for more than $2,000.

— stephen daw, Billboard, "Iggy Azalea Auctions Off 'Fancy' Cheerleader Costume From 2014 Billboard Music Awards to Raise Money for GLAAD," 25 June 2018
Long before Theranos and its celebrity board, Bloom founder K.R. Sridhar and his venture capitalist backer/cheerleader recruited Colin Powell to Bloom’s board.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why the Pride of Green Tech Startups Is Going Public," 18 June 2018
Trump has frequently expressed disdain for the EU and was an enthusiastic cheerleader after Britain voted to leave the bloc.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "The West is in crisis, despite Trump's glowing assessment," 9 June 2018
On this Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss the National Football League’s growing cheerleader problem.

— Bloomberg.com, "The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem; Pac-12 Revenue Hits $500M(Audio)," 7 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cheerleader.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cheerleader

1890

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CHEERLEADER Defined for English Language Learners

cheerleader

noun

Definition of cheerleader for English Language Learners

: a person who is a member of a group (typically a group of young women) who shout out special songs or chants to encourage the team and entertain the crowd during a game in sports like American football and basketball
: a person who encourages other people to do or support something