laughed; laughing; laughs
1
a
: to show emotion (such as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
The audience was laughing hysterically.
b
: to find amusement or pleasure in something
laughed at his own clumsiness
c
: to become amused or derisive
a very skeptical public laughed at our early efforts—
Graenum Berger
Graenum Berger2
a
: to produce the sound or appearance of laughter
a laughing brook
b
: to be of a kind that inspires joy
the blue sky of Autumn laughs above—Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell1
: to influence or move by laughter
laughed the bad singer off the stage
2
: to utter with a laugh
laughs her consent
Synonyms
Examples of laugh in a Sentence
Verb
What are you laughing about?
The audience was laughing hysterically.
I've never laughed so hard in my life.
I couldn't stop laughing when I saw what he was wearing.
I laughed out loud when I saw him.
He laughed so hard I thought he'd die laughing.
The movie was hilarious. We laughed our heads off.
“I've never seen anything so ridiculous,” he laughed.
Noun
He gave a loud laugh.
a joke that always gets a big laugh
The movie has a lot of laughs.
You're going to be a movie star? That's a laugh.
Recent Examples on the WebCaroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The trailer ends with Hartnett maniacally laughing to himself.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The crowd did not shy away from laughing, cheering and crying throughout the film.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
All of a sudden, three laughing spectators burst through the ceiling, demanding entertainment.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
In a white building on the corner of Washington and Twelfth Streets, kids laugh and ride their scooters in the parking lot while soulful music spills out and invites visitors to step inside.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers at the federal level are talking about 32-hour workweeks and they’re not getting laughed out of the room.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Sky-high ticket prices, concessions costs that laugh in the face of logic (even the airport isn’t so bold), and the parking fees — my goodness.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
While some people laugh at my system, this old way works for me.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Judith Regan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez is warm and self-effacing, with a good laugh.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The story here is very slight: With the help of his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Segel’s Gary and his Muppet friend Walter must foil a plot by an oil-hungry baddie (played by Chris Cooper, with a full-fledged maniacal laugh) to destroy the Muppet Studio for more of that liquid gold.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Whether its nailing SpongeBob SquarePants' famous laugh or finding the perfect tone for the pint-sized tots on Rugrats, these actors' abilities to shift their voices is one impressive feat.
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
After a few hours of handling flowers, hanging out and having laughs, Ellis hopped into his car to head home.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
Isaacs was also known around coaching circles for his slick communication skills with referees and coaches that often made fans in the gym laugh.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Bowen Yang, Wiig, and Jon Hamm — channeling Don Draper — can barely suppress their laughs here.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Those can come from things like laughing, smiling and frowning, for example.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The trailer ends with Hartnett maniacally laughing to himself.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The crowd did not shy away from laughing, cheering and crying throughout the film.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
All of a sudden, three laughing spectators burst through the ceiling, demanding entertainment.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
In a white building on the corner of Washington and Twelfth Streets, kids laugh and ride their scooters in the parking lot while soulful music spills out and invites visitors to step inside.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers at the federal level are talking about 32-hour workweeks and they’re not getting laughed out of the room.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Sky-high ticket prices, concessions costs that laugh in the face of logic (even the airport isn’t so bold), and the parking fees — my goodness.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
While some people laugh at my system, this old way works for me.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Everyone in the room was mortified by his frightening characterizations, his bizarre, inappropriate laugh, and the description of himself as the victim in every story of him battering and humiliating her.
—Judith Regan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez is warm and self-effacing, with a good laugh.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The story here is very slight: With the help of his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Segel’s Gary and his Muppet friend Walter must foil a plot by an oil-hungry baddie (played by Chris Cooper, with a full-fledged maniacal laugh) to destroy the Muppet Studio for more of that liquid gold.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Whether its nailing SpongeBob SquarePants' famous laugh or finding the perfect tone for the pint-sized tots on Rugrats, these actors' abilities to shift their voices is one impressive feat.
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
After a few hours of handling flowers, hanging out and having laughs, Ellis hopped into his car to head home.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
Isaacs was also known around coaching circles for his slick communication skills with referees and coaches that often made fans in the gym laugh.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Bowen Yang, Wiig, and Jon Hamm — channeling Don Draper — can barely suppress their laughs here.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laugh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near laugh
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laugh. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
laugh
1 of 2 verb
ˈlaf 
ˈlȧf
1
a
: to show emotion (as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
b
: to become amused
2
: to utter with a laugh
she laughed, "What fun!"
laugher
noun
laugh
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or sound of laughing
2
a
: something funny
that game was a real laugh
b
: something deserving scorn
He's an expert? That's a laugh
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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