laughingstock

noun

ˈla-fiŋ-ˌstäk How to pronounce laughingstock (audio)
Definition of laughingstocknext
as in joke
a person or thing that is made fun of his nerdy clothes made him the laughingstock of the schoolyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laughingstock Their antics made Huntington Beach a national laughingstock — but Gates and his pals so far have had the last giggle. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 One Boston city council member, Julia Mejia, is pushing a home rule petition allowing non-citizens to vote in elections, a preposterous prospect that is making the city a laughingstock. — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 His actions have undermined our democracy and made America a laughingstock. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026 Alphabet had a surprising 750 million average monthly users for its Gemini app, which was just a few years ago a laughingstock. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for laughingstock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughingstock
  1. joke
  2. fool
Noun
  • Nathan thinks Joe is teasing him about his cleanliness, and jokes back that Joe hasn’t changed his sheets, either.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • The jokes about a modern couple trapped in a magical town stuck more than 200 years in the past hit the mark with just the right amount of bawdy fun.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Don’t let the thin sole fool you though, the structure is still quite supportive and keeps your feet cushioned.
    — Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026
  • Being a gent or a supplicant wasn’t the same as being a fool, though.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

laughing off
laughingstock
laughingstocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laughingstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughingstock. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on laughingstock

Nglish: Translation of laughingstock for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All