Cheer vs. Root — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 27, 2023
Cheer refers to expressions of support or encouragement, often joyful, while root means to support a team or individual, typically in sports. Both involve expressing support, but cheer is more expressive and lively.
Difference Between Cheer and Root
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Cheer and root both convey a sense of support and encouragement, but they differ in their nuances and applications. To cheer is to give comfort, support, or to encourage, often through shouts and applause. It’s a way to express joy, approval, and encouragement in various settings, be it at a sports event or in everyday situations. On the other hand, to root for someone predominantly means to wish for someone's success and to hope for a positive outcome, especially in a competitive scenario like sports or contests.
Cheering is usually loud and expressive, involving clapping, shouting, and sometimes even singing. It is a more spontaneous and energetic form of support and is usually visible and audible to the surrounding audience. Rooting, by contrast, can be a quieter, more personal form of support, not always overtly visible or audible to others. It is more about the mental or emotional state of hoping for someone’s success.
Cheer has a broader scope, extending beyond the realm of sports. It can be used in casual and formal settings alike, such as cheering up a friend or cheering for a colleague's presentation. Root is more colloquial and is often associated primarily with sports or competitive events. It carries a more informal tone and is predominantly used in casual conversations.
In essence, while cheer is about vocal and often public expressions of joy, support, and encouragement, root is more about the internal state of wishing success for someone. Though different, both terms do overlap in many contexts, especially in sports where fans both cheer for and root for their teams.
Comparison Chart
Form of Support
Loud, expressive, involving clapping and shouting
Quieter, more personal, not always visible or audible
ADVERTISEMENT
Application
Various settings beyond sports, both casual and formal
Predominantly sports or competitive events, more informal
Scope
Broad, involving expressions of joy, approval, and encouragement
More specific, about wishing success and hoping for a positive outcome
Visibility
Usually visible and audible to the surrounding audience
Can be internal and not overtly visible or audible
Expressiveness
More spontaneous and energetic
More about mental or emotional state of support
Compare with Definitions
Cheer
Cheer involves expressing approval or support.
Everyone started to cheer as the speaker walked onstage.
Root
Root means to express support for a team or individual.
We decided to root for the local team in the championship.
Cheer
Cheer can denote a mood of happiness or good spirits.
There was a sense of cheer in the room during the celebrations.
Root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They most often lie below the surface of the soil, but roots can also be aerial or aerating, that is, growing up above the ground or especially above water.
Cheer
Shout for joy or in praise or encouragement
She cheered from the sidelines
Root
The part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibres
Root growth
Cacti have deep and spreading roots
A tree root
Cheer
Give comfort or support to
He seemed greatly cheered by my arrival
Root
The basic cause, source, or origin of something
Money is the root of all evil
Jealousy was at the root of it
The root cause of the problem
Cheer
A shout of encouragement, praise, or joy
A tremendous cheer from the audience
Root
A number or quantity that when multiplied by itself, typically a specified number of times, gives a specified number or quantity.
Cheer
Cheerfulness, optimism, or confidence
An attempt to inject a little cheer into this gloomy season
Root
A user account with full and unrestricted access to a system
I need to log in as root on my system to resolve an issue
Make sure that these files can only be accessed by the root user
Cheer
A shout of approval, encouragement, or congratulation
A remark that drew cheers from the crowd.
Root
An act of sexual intercourse.
Cheer
A short, rehearsed jingle or phrase, shouted in unison by a squad of cheerleaders.
Root
An act of rooting
I had a root through the open drawers
Cheer
Comfort or encouragement
A message of cheer.
Root
Cause (a plant or cutting) to grow roots
Root your own cuttings from stock plants
Cheer
Lightness of spirits or mood; gaiety or joy
A happy tune, full of cheer.
Root
Establish deeply and firmly
Vegetarianism is rooted in Indian culture
Cheer
Festive food and drink; refreshment
Did not refrain from sampling their holiday cheer.
Root
Cause (someone) to stand immobile through fear or amazement
She found herself rooted to the spot in disbelief
Cheer
To shout cheers.
Root
Gain access to the root account of (a smartphone or computer)
We explained how to manually root almost any Android device
Cheer
To express praise or approval
Bloggers cheered when the favorable decision was announced.
Root
Have sexual intercourse with.
Cheer
To become cheerful
Had lunch and soon cheered up.
Root
(of an animal) turn up the ground with its snout in search of food
Stray dogs rooting around for bones and scraps
Cheer
To encourage with cheers
The fans cheered the runners on.
Root
The usually underground portion of a plant that lacks buds, leaves, or nodes and serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food.
Cheer
To salute or acclaim with cheers; applaud.
Root
Any of various other underground plant parts, especially an underground stem such as a rhizome, corm, or tuber.
Cheer
To express praise or approval for; acclaim
Cheered the results of the election.
Root
The embedded part of an organ or structure such as a hair, tooth, or nerve, that serves as a base or support.
Cheer
To make happier or more cheerful
A warm fire that cheered us.
Root
The bottom or supporting part of something
We snipped the wires at the roots.
Cheer
(uncountable) A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or positive mood.
Root
The essential part or element; the basic core
I finally got to the root of the problem.
Cheer
That which promotes good spirits or cheerfulness, especially food and entertainment prepared for a festive occasion.
A table loaded with good cheer
Root
A primary source; an origin.
Cheer
(countable) A cry expressing joy, approval or support, such as "hurrah".
Three cheers for the birthday boy!
A cheer rose from the crowd.
Root
A progenitor or ancestor from which a person or family is descended.
Cheer
(countable) A chant made in support of a team at a sports event.
Root
Often roots The condition of being settled and of belonging to a particular place or society
Our roots in this town go back a long way.
Cheer
(obsolete) One's facial expression or countenance.
Root
Roots The state of having or establishing an indigenous relationship with or a personal affinity for a particular culture, society, or environment
Music with unmistakable African roots.
Cheer
(archaic) One's attitude, mood.
Root
The element that carries the main component of meaning in a word and provides the basis from which a word is derived by adding affixes or inflectional endings or by phonetic change.
Cheer
Cheerleading, especially when practiced as a competitive sport.
Alex participated in cheer all four years of college.
I'm going to wear my new cheer shoes at cheer today.
Root
Such an element reconstructed for a protolanguage. Also called radical.
Cheer
(transitive) To gladden; to make cheerful; often with up.
We were cheered by the offer of a cup of tea.
Root
A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
Cheer
(transitive) To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort.
Root
A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
Cheer
To encourage to do something.
Root
A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
Cheer
(ambitransitive) To applaud or encourage with cheers or shouts.
The crowd cheered in support of the athletes.
The crowd cheered the athletes.
Root
The note from which a chord is built.
Cheer
To feel or express enthusiasm for (something).
The finance sector will cheer this decision.
Root
Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.
Cheer
The face; the countenance or its expression.
Root
To grow roots or a root
Carrot tops will root in water.
Cheer
That which promotes good spirits or cheerfulness; provisions prepared for a feast; entertainment; as, a table loaded with good cheer.
Root
To become firmly established or settled
The idea of tolerance has rooted in our culture.
Cheer
Feeling; spirit; state of mind or heart.
Be of good cheer.
The parents . . . fled away with heavy cheer.
Root
To plant and fix the roots of (a plant) in soil or the ground.
Cheer
Gayety; mirth; cheerfulness; animation.
I have not that alacrity of spirit,Nor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have.
Root
To establish or settle firmly
Our love of the ocean has rooted us here.
Cheer
A shout, hurrah, or acclamation, expressing joy enthusiasm, applause, favor, etc.
Welcome her, thundering cheer of the street.
Root
To be the source or origin of
"Much of [the team's] success was rooted in the bullpen" (Dan Shaughnessy).
Cheer
To cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful; - often with up.
Root
To dig or pull out by the roots. Often used with up or out
We rooted out the tree stumps with a tractor.
Cheer
To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace or comfort.
The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered.
Root
To remove or get rid of. Often used with out
"declared that waste and fraud will be vigorously rooted out of Government" (New York Times).
Cheer
To salute or applaud with cheers; to urge on by cheers; as, to cheer hounds in a chase.
Root
To turn up by digging with the snout or nose
Hogs that rooted up acorns.
Cheer
To grow cheerful; to become gladsome or joyous; - usually with up.
At sight of thee my gloomy soul cheers up.
Root
To cause to appear or be known. Used with out
An investigation that rooted out the source of the problem.
Cheer
To be in any state or temper of mind.
How cheer'st thou, Jessica?
Root
To turn over the earth with the snout or nose.
Cheer
To utter a shout or shouts of applause, triumph, etc.
And even the ranks of TusculumCould scare forbear to cheer.
Root
To search or rummage for something
Rooted around for a pencil in his cluttered office.
Cheer
A cry or shout of approval
Root
To give audible encouragement or applause to a contestant or team; cheer.
Cheer
The quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom;
Flowers added a note of cheerfulness to the drab room
Root
To give moral support to someone; hope for a favorable outcome for someone
We'll be rooting for you when you take the exam.
Cheer
Give encouragement to
Root
The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.
This tree's roots can go as deep as twenty metres underground.
Cheer
Show approval or good wishes by shouting;
Everybody cheered the birthday boy
Root
A root vegetable.
Cheer
Cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful;
She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee
Root
The part of a tooth extending into the bone holding the tooth in place.
Root damage is a common problem of overbrushing.
Cheer
Become cheerful
Root
The part of a hair under the skin that holds the hair in place.
The root is the only part of the hair that is alive.
Cheer
Urge on or encourage especially by shouts;
The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers
Root
The part of a hair near the skin that has not been dyed, permed, or otherwise treated.
He dyed his hair black last month, so the grey roots can be seen.
Cheer
Cheer means to shout for joy or encouragement.
The crowd let out a cheer when the team scored.
Root
(figurative) The primary source; origin.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Cheer
Cheer can also mean to comfort or to make someone happier.
She brought some flowers to cheer him up.
Root
(aviation) The section of a wing immediately adjacent to the fuselage.
Cheer
Cheer can refer to festive activities or celebrations.
Holiday cheer was in the air with decorations and music everywhere.
Root
(engineering) The bottom of the thread of a threaded object.
The root diameter is the minor diameter of an external thread and the major diameter of an internal one.
Root
(arithmetic) Of a number or expression, a number which, when raised to a specified power, yields the specified number or expression.
The cube root of 27 is 3.
Root
(arithmetic) A square root (understood if no power is specified; in which case, "the root of" is often abbreviated to "root").
Multiply by root 2.
Root
(analysis) A zero (of an equation).
Root
The single node of a tree that has no parent.
Root
(linguistic morphology) The primary lexical unit of a word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents. Inflectional stems often derive from roots.
Root
(philology) A word from which another word or words are derived.
Root
(music) The fundamental tone of any chord; the tone from whose harmonics, or overtones, a chord is composed.
Root
The lowest place, position, or part.
Root
(computing) In UNIX terminology, the first user account with complete access to the operating system and its configuration, found at the root of the directory structure; the person who manages accounts on a UNIX system.
I have to log in as root before I do that.
Root
(computing) The highest directory of a directory structure which may contain both files and subdirectories.
I installed the files in the root directory.
Root
(slang) A penis, especially the base of a penis.
Root
An act of sexual intercourse.
Fancy a root?
Root
A sexual partner.
Root
To grow roots; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.
The cuttings are starting to root.
Root
To prepare, oversee, or otherwise cause the rooting of cuttings.
We rooted some cuttings last summer.
Root
To be firmly fixed; to be established.
Root
To get root or privileged access on a computer system or mobile phone, often through bypassing some security mechanism.
We rooted his box and planted a virus on it.
I want to root my Android phone so I can remove the preinstalled crapware.
Root
(ambitransitive) To turn up or dig with the snout.
A pig roots the earth for truffles.
Root
(by extension) To seek favour or advancement by low arts or grovelling servility; to fawn.
Root
(intransitive) To rummage; to search as if by digging in soil.
Rooting about in a junk-filled drawer
Root
(intransitive) Of a baby: to turn the head and open the mouth in search of food.
Root
(transitive) To root out; to abolish.
Root
To sexually penetrate.
Root
To cheer (on); to show support (for) and hope for the success of. See root for.
I'm rooting for you, don't let me down!
Root
To turn up the earth with the snout, as swine.
Root
Hence, to seek for favor or advancement by low arts or groveling servility; to fawn servilely.
Root
To turn up or to dig out with the snout; as, the swine roots the earth.
Root
To fix the root; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.
In deep grounds the weeds root deeper.
Root
To be firmly fixed; to be established.
If any irregularity chanced to intervene and to cause misappehensions, he gave them not leave to root and fasten by concealment.
Root
To shout for, or otherwise noisly applaud or encourage, a contestant, as in sports; hence, to wish earnestly for the success of some one or the happening of some event, with the superstitious notion that this action may have efficacy; - usually with for; as, the crowd rooted for the home team.
Root
To plant and fix deeply in the earth, or as in the earth; to implant firmly; hence, to make deep or radical; to establish; - used chiefly in the participle; as, rooted trees or forests; rooted dislike.
Root
To tear up by the root; to eradicate; to extirpate; - with up, out, or away.
The Lord rooted them out of their land . . . and cast them into another land.
Root
The underground portion of a plant, whether a true root or a tuber, a bulb or rootstock, as in the potato, the onion, or the sweet flag.
Root
An edible or esculent root, especially of such plants as produce a single root, as the beet, carrot, etc.; as, the root crop.
Root
That which resembles a root in position or function, esp. as a source of nourishment or support; that from which anything proceeds as if by growth or development; as, the root of a tooth, a nail, a cancer, and the like.
They were the roots out of which sprang two distinct people.
Root
A primitive form of speech; one of the earliest terms employed in language; a word from which other words are formed; a radix, or radical.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Root
The time which to reckon in making calculations.
When a root is of a birth yknowe [known].
Root
That factor of a quantity which when multiplied into itself will produce that quantity; thus, 3 is a root of 9, because 3 multiplied into itself produces 9; 3 is the cube root of 27.
Root
The lowest place, position, or part.
Root
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
Root
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed;
Thematic vowels are part of the stem
Root
The place where something begins, where it springs into being;
The Italian beginning of the Renaissance
Jupiter was the origin of the radiation
Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River
Communism's Russian root
Root
A number that when multiplied by itself some number of times equals a given number
Root
The set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation
Root
Someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
Root
A simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
Root
The part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support
Root
Take root and begin to grow;
This plant roots quickly
Root
Come into existence, originate;
The problem roots in her depression
Root
Plant by the roots
Root
Dig with the snout;
The pig was rooting for truffles
Root
Take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy for;
We all rooted for the home team
I'm pulling for the underdog
Are you siding with the defender of the title?
Root
Become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style;
He finally settled down
Root
Cause to take roots
Root
Root can also refer to the underground part of a plant.
The carrot is a root vegetable.
Root
Root can mean to establish deeply and firmly.
Her beliefs are rooted in her upbringing.
Root
Root can refer to searching or rummaging for something.
The pig rooted around in the dirt looking for food.
Root
Root denotes the basic cause, source, or origin of something.
We need to address the root of the problem.
Common Curiosities
Is Cheering always loud?
While cheering is often loud and expressive, it can also be a quieter expression of support or happiness.
What does Cheer mean in a general sense?
Cheer generally means to express joy, approval, or encouragement through shouts, clapping, or other expressive actions.
Can Root refer to something other than supporting a team?
Yes, root can also refer to the part of a plant that typically lies below the surface, among other meanings.
Is Rooting always silent or internal?
Not necessarily, people can also root for someone by expressing their support outwardly, such as with words of encouragement.
Does Root always imply a sense of competition?
While often used in competitive contexts, rooting for someone can also imply general support or hope for someone’s success, even outside competition.
Can Cheer also mean to comfort someone?
Yes, to cheer up someone can mean to comfort or try to make someone feel happier.
Can Cheer refer to festive celebrations?
Yes, cheer can refer to festive activities or celebrations, conveying a sense of enjoyment and festivity.
Can Cheer be used to refer to a mood or atmosphere?
Yes, cheer can refer to a mood of happiness or festive atmosphere, as in ‘holiday cheer’.
Can you Root for more than one team or person?
Absolutely, it’s possible to root for multiple individuals or teams.
Is Cheer used only in sports contexts?
No, cheer can be used in various settings, including casual and formal, and is not limited to sports.
How does Cheer differ from applauding?
Cheer involves vocal expression of support, while applauding is specifically clapping hands in approval or support.
Can Root be used as a verb?
Yes, root can be used as a verb, as in rooting for a team, or a pig rooting in the ground.
Can the word Root also imply a sense of foundation or origin?
Yes, root can denote the basic cause, source, or origin of something, or to establish something deeply and firmly.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Monarchial vs. Monarchical
Next Comparison
Gesture vs. GesticulateAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
