a barrel of laughs
noun phrase
informal
: someone or something that is very funny
—often used in negative statements or in an ironic way to describe someone or something that is not really funny
Several people have lost their jobs recently, so the office isn't exactly a barrel of laughs these days.
Examples of a barrel of laughs in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hiccup’s passel of fellow trainees are a barrel of laughs with Harry Trevaldwyn (Tuffnut), Bronwyn James (Ruffnut), Julian Dennison (Fishlegs), and Gabriel Howell (Snotlout) bringing the majority of the film’s comic relief (and delivering it without ever overplaying the jokes).
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Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 June 2025
This may not sound like a barrel of laughs, but Letts’ script has a deep comic vein and director Francis Gercke has found the story’s funny, tender, uplifting and creepy moments.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
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Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 June 2025
This may not sound like a barrel of laughs, but Letts’ script has a deep comic vein and director Francis Gercke has found the story’s funny, tender, uplifting and creepy moments.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“A barrel of laughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20barrel%20of%20laughs. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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