humour

[[t]hju͟ːmə(r)[/t]]

♦♦♦

humours, humouring, humoured

(in AM, use humor)

1) N-UNCOUNT: supp N You can refer to the amusing things that people say as their humour.

→ See also sense of humour

Her humour and determination were a source of inspiration to others.

2) N-UNCOUNT Humour is a quality in something that makes you laugh, for example in a situation, in someone's words or actions, or in a book or film.

She felt sorry for the man but couldn't ignore the humour of the situation.

3) N-VAR: supp N If you are in a good humour, you feel cheerful and happy, and are pleasant to people. If you are in a bad humour, you feel bad-tempered and unhappy, and are unpleasant to people.

Christina was still not clear why he had been in such ill humour...

Next day, Louis XIV was in the best of humours...

Did the old boy drink? Could that have been the source of his good humour?

Syn:

temper

4) N-UNCOUNT: adj N If you do something with good humour, you do it cheerfully and pleasantly.

Hugo bore his illness with great courage and good humour.

5) VERB If you humour someone who is behaving strangely, you try to please them or pretend to agree with them, so that they will not become upset.

[V n] She disliked Dido but was prepared to tolerate her for a weekend in order to humour her husband.