# cheers

A toast when drinking; also informal “thanks” or a friendly sign-off, especially in British and Irish English.

Canonical URL: https://slanglane.com/terms/cheers
Release: daily-2026-10-19
Checked: 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z
Register: Friendly · informal
Language: general
Review: editorial

## Meaning

Cheers has several everyday uses. Around drinks it is a toast. After someone helps you, it can mean thanks. At the end of an informal message, it can close the exchange in a friendly way without referring to drinking at all.

The surrounding action usually makes the meaning clear. A person holding a glass is toasting; a person accepting a returned umbrella is likely thanking you. An email ending “Cheers, Alex” is a sign-off. A short cheers can be perfectly polite in a familiar environment, though more formal contexts may call for thank you or a conventional closing.

## Original examples

> “You left your charger here.” “Cheers, I will collect it later.”

In plain English: Thank you for letting me know.

Context: An informal expression of thanks.

> I have attached the revised schedule. Cheers, Morgan.

In plain English: A friendly closing to the message.

Context: No toast or drinking context is implied.

## When it fits

Use it for informal thanks, a toast, or a friendly sign-off when that register suits the conversation.

## Mind the context

Avoid assuming every cheers refers to alcohol. For a very formal request or an audience unfamiliar with the thanks sense, thank you may be clearer.

## Important differences

### cheer

A cheer is a shout of support or happiness. The plural-looking interjection cheers has its own conventional conversational functions.

## Regional notes

- UK / Ireland: Thanks and sign-off uses are familiar. In the US the toast sense is especially widely recognized, while thanks usage varies.

## Backstory

The word develops from cheer and has established toast, thanks, and farewell uses. These are older conversational conventions rather than new internet abbreviations.

## Questions

### Can cheers mean thank you?

Yes, especially in informal British, Irish, and other Commonwealth English.

### Is cheers okay in an email?

Often in a friendly or informal email. Match the relationship and the tone of the wider exchange.

## Sources

- [cheers — English entry](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cheers#English) — Wiktionary contributors. Checked 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z. Supports: meaning; usage.

Source texts retain their original licenses. Definitions and factual notes are research-informed; examples and usage advice are original SlangLane writing.