noun
humour
HYOO-muh
noun
1
(UK) The quality of being funny, or the ability to find things funny.
"She has a great sense of humour and always makes us laugh."
"His humour helped lighten the mood at the funeral."
2
(UK) A person's mood or temporary state of mind.
"He was in a foul humour after the meeting."
verb
1
(UK) To go along with someone's wishes to keep them happy, even if you disagree.
"She humoured her grandfather by listening to the same story again."
How to Use Humour
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBritish spelling of "humor" — either the quality of being funny, a person's mood, or (as a verb) indulging someone.
UK vs US
UK English: "humour." US English: "humor."
Easily confused with
humor
Common pairings
sense of humour
good humour
humour someone
Word Forms
humoured past tense, humours plural, humours singular
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She has a great sense of _____ and always makes us laugh.
Etymology
From Latin humor ("liquid, moisture"). Medieval medicine held that four bodily fluids ("humours") controlled mood and health, which is how the word came to mean "state of mind" and later "funniness."