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.
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Recent Examples on the WebKathryn Kvas, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
Six good-looking guys in their early 20s sat around a table eating burritos, laughing and ribbing one another.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
In September, Brand was also accused of exposing himself to a woman and then laughing about it on while broadcasting his BBC Radio 2 show in 2008, as BBC News reported.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
The 67-year-old lawmaker smiled and laughed his way through the crowd at a Veterans Day event in Bigfork, a small town on Flathead Lake where the population has surged in recent years.
—Matthew Brown, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
And while there are reasons to discuss every single one of them, the commenters (thankfully) got the point: This post was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, a way to laugh before the holiday whirl begins.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Nov. 2023
The rest of the family can be seen chatting and laughing over drinks and a charcuterie board, next to a campfire.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
While many of us who grew up laughing at Chandler Bing’s wisecracks in our living rooms are feeling only the vicarious loss, some of Perry’s friends and coworkers are taking to social media to commemorate Perry’s life.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
From an absentee mom who runs off to Macau on a gambling bender, to reunited estranged siblings whose chaotic dynamic belies a deeper connection, the film allows Asian Americans and those from immigrant communities the rare opportunity to laugh at their traumas.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
If true love is being able to hear your beloved’s signature laugh from across a crowded, noisy room, then A$AP Rocky is the love guru.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023
Even back then his desire to be the center of attention and get laughs from his friends by any means necessary outweighed the adolescent outrage that can come from the nagging of a well-meaning parent.
—Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Beth Stelling, who has a new special on Netflix, delights in inappropriate laughs — none more so than in her bits about aging and childhood.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
While comedian Mike Epps is known for bringing big laughs, fans of him have the opportunity to be introduced to another side of the star – and his amazing wife Kyra – through their special Buying Back the Block.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 15 Nov. 2023
Steve Martin gave me a tag for a joke that’s one of the bigger laughs in the show.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023
This time, though, things balance out better — while seldom going for big laughs, the film never takes itself too seriously, allowing its story to occupy the realm of cineaste fantasy.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023
As a movie played in his mind of his younger self dangling in midair, all his battles ahead of him, Scott gave a wicked, staccato laugh.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
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Verb
And the tree laughed and laughed and told the boy that of course the apples had pesticides—duh!
—Kathryn Kvas, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
Six good-looking guys in their early 20s sat around a table eating burritos, laughing and ribbing one another.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
In September, Brand was also accused of exposing himself to a woman and then laughing about it on while broadcasting his BBC Radio 2 show in 2008, as BBC News reported.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
The 67-year-old lawmaker smiled and laughed his way through the crowd at a Veterans Day event in Bigfork, a small town on Flathead Lake where the population has surged in recent years.
—Matthew Brown, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
And while there are reasons to discuss every single one of them, the commenters (thankfully) got the point: This post was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, a way to laugh before the holiday whirl begins.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Nov. 2023
The rest of the family can be seen chatting and laughing over drinks and a charcuterie board, next to a campfire.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
While many of us who grew up laughing at Chandler Bing’s wisecracks in our living rooms are feeling only the vicarious loss, some of Perry’s friends and coworkers are taking to social media to commemorate Perry’s life.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
From an absentee mom who runs off to Macau on a gambling bender, to reunited estranged siblings whose chaotic dynamic belies a deeper connection, the film allows Asian Americans and those from immigrant communities the rare opportunity to laugh at their traumas.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
Noun
In photos from the event, held at the Sound View Greenport hotel in partnership with Kelsey’s beer, Kelsey and Greer, 31, could be seen proving their skills as bartenders and sharing a laugh.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
If true love is being able to hear your beloved’s signature laugh from across a crowded, noisy room, then A$AP Rocky is the love guru.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023
Even back then his desire to be the center of attention and get laughs from his friends by any means necessary outweighed the adolescent outrage that can come from the nagging of a well-meaning parent.
—Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Beth Stelling, who has a new special on Netflix, delights in inappropriate laughs — none more so than in her bits about aging and childhood.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
While comedian Mike Epps is known for bringing big laughs, fans of him have the opportunity to be introduced to another side of the star – and his amazing wife Kyra – through their special Buying Back the Block.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 15 Nov. 2023
Steve Martin gave me a tag for a joke that’s one of the bigger laughs in the show.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023
This time, though, things balance out better — while seldom going for big laughs, the film never takes itself too seriously, allowing its story to occupy the realm of cineaste fantasy.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023
As a movie played in his mind of his younger self dangling in midair, all his battles ahead of him, Scott gave a wicked, staccato laugh.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
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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.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English, from Old English hliehhan; akin to Old High German lachēn to laugh
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Noun
1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of laugh was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing laugh
Dictionary Entries Near laugh
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laugh. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on laugh
Nglish: Translation of laugh for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of laugh for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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