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Prepositions after verbs

Cheer for or cheer on?

Cheer for and cheer on are both standard, but they focus on different ideas. Cheer for shows support, while cheer on emphasizes encouraging someone during an activity.

Quick answer

What is the difference between cheer for and cheer on?

Use cheer for to support a team or person generally. Use cheer on when actively encouraging someone during a performance, race, or event.

Thousands of fans cheered for the home team.
We stood by the road to cheer on the runners.
She always cheers for Brazil during the World Cup.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
cheer for + team or person

Showing support

Use cheer for to express support or loyalty.

My children cheer for different football clubs.
2
cheer on + person or group

Encouraging during an activity

Use cheer on when motivating people while they perform.

Parents gathered to cheer on the players at the final.
3
cheer up + person

Making someone happier

Cheer up has a different meaning: improve someone's mood.

We tried to cheer up our friend after the bad news.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
cheer for
I cheer for the national team.
Support a person or team.
cheer on
The crowd cheered on the cyclists.
Encourage someone during an activity.
cheer up
That message really cheered me up.
Make someone feel happier.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using cheer on for general loyalty

Cheer on usually focuses on active encouragement during an event.

✕ I have cheered on this club since childhood. ✓ I have cheered for this club since childhood.

Forgetting the object after cheer on

Cheer on normally takes a person or group receiving encouragement.

✕ The fans cheered on loudly. ✓ The fans cheered loudly.

Confusing cheer up and cheer for

These expressions have different meanings.

✕ We cheered up the team during the match. ✓ We cheered on the team during the match.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The crowd gathered to cheer ___ the marathon runners.
2. He has always cheered ___ Liverpool.
3. We tried to cheer ___ our colleague after the meeting.

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Frequently asked questions

Can cheer for and cheer on sometimes overlap?

Yes. In sports contexts, both can appear, but cheer on usually highlights active encouragement during the event.

Is cheer on always about sports?

No. You can cheer on students, performers, friends, or anyone doing an activity.

Can I say cheer someone?

Not usually with the meaning of support. Use cheer for or cheer on instead.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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