laughingstock

noun

laugh·​ing·​stock ˈla-fiŋ-ˌstäk 

ˈlä-

: an object of ridicule

Synonyms of laughingstock

• joke
• fool

Examples of laughingstock in a Sentence

The team has become the laughingstock of the league.

The mayor became a laughingstock.

Recent Examples on the Web

Richmond became the laughingstock of the Premier League, and the players increasingly struggled with morale, even while their off-the-pitch bonds remained as strong as ever. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026

Getz’s first full season as GM was in 2024, when the Sox were the laughingstock of baseball. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Harbaugh is doing this because the Giants currently are a laughingstock, an afterthought, one of the losingest franchises in the NFL for the bulk of the past decade. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026

The other—the New York Knicks—have gone from the NBA's laughingstock just a decade ago to NBA champion. — Robert Reiss, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1518, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for laughingstock

• aftershock
• antiknock
• arawak
• hollyhock
• interlock
• manioc
• shuttlecock
• tomahawk
• weathercock
• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock

Kids Definition

laughingstock

noun

laugh·​ing·​stock ˈlaf-iŋ-ˌstäk 

ˈlȧf-

: a person or thing that is made fun of