Meaning & use
jeer
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To shout rude, mocking remarks at someone, especially as a crowd, to show scorn or disapproval.
Grammar: Usually used with at: the crowd jeered at the referee; it can also take a direct object: the crowd jeered him.
Patterns
- jeer at someone
- jeer someone
- jeer at something
Fans began to jeer the goalkeeper after his second mistake.
Some members of the audience jeered at the speaker throughout the speech.
The crowd jeered as the politician stepped on stage.
nounusually plural
A loud, scornful shout or comment aimed at someone to mock or insult them.
Grammar: Often plural, as in the jeers of the crowd, but a single jeer is possible.
Patterns
- jeers from someone
- a jeer at someone
The announcement was met with jeers from the back of the hall.
He ignored the jeers and finished his speech.
A lone jeer rose from the audience when the band appeared.
Word forms
| third person singular | jeers |
|---|---|
| past tense | jeered |
| past participle | jeered |
| -ing form | jeering |
| plural | jeers |
Common combinations
- jeer at
- The students began to jeer at the losing team.
- jeered by the crowd
- The referee was jeered by the crowd after the penalty.
- met with jeers
- The proposal was met with jeers and whistles.
- cheers and jeers
- The singer received both cheers and jeers.
- loud jeers
- Loud jeers drowned out the mayor's reply.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mock
- Mock can be quiet or done by one person, while jeer is loud and usually done by a crowd.
- taunt
- Taunt aims to provoke someone personally, often to make them angry, while jeer is more about showing scorn in public.
- heckle
- Heckle means interrupting a speaker or performer with shouts, while jeer need not interrupt anything.
- boo
- Boo is a single sound of disapproval, while jeer includes spoken mockery.
Opposites
Word family
- jeering noun
- loud mockery from a crowd
- jeeringly adverb
- in a scornful, mocking way
- jeerer noun
- a person who jeers (rare)
Commonly confused: jeer or cheer?
jeer vs cheer
Cheer sounds similar but means the opposite: to shout in support or encouragement.
Practice
Which phrase shows the usual pattern when a crowd mocks a referee?
Choose one answer.
Jeer is used with at (or directly with an object) for the person being mocked. With, for and in do not fit this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jeer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.