belly laugh

noun

Definition of belly laughnext
as in laughter
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement humorous anecdotes that are likely to evoke lots of smiles but few belly laughs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 belly laugh Eddie has a way of getting into our heads and hearts for a belly laugh that eases pain, builds a bridge. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 This show, which still prompts belly laughs from my daughter and me even after countless rewatches, meets and surpasses my mother’s bar. — Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026 Rothberg leads the room through a laughter exercise—head laugh, chest laugh, belly laugh, roller-coaster laugh. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026 Serious belly laughs and nerve-racking moments arrive in equal measure; tonally, there’s nothing quite like it. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for belly laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly laugh
  1. laughter
  2. chuckle
  3. giggle
  4. laugh
  5. snicker
Noun
  • Nolan Wells should have turned 19 surrounded by a birthday cake, candles and laughter.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and endless adventures!
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of laughter
Noun
  • Brian Leonard’s smartly funny ode to his difficult daughter — a child whose behavior was so problematic, the family cycled through 28 therapists — offers plenty of chuckles, even with key questions left unanswered.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The risk, though, with horror-comedy—with dinging from chuckles to shrieks and back again—is always an evacuated center.
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of chuckle
Noun
  • Her giggles kept interrupting the tune through much of her performance, and soon Pioneer Hall was laughing with her and cheering her through it.
    — Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, donning night-vision giggles, Knoxville gleefully attacks them with trash can lids and tasers.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of giggle
Noun
  • Gone was the terror of wondering if the piece that was about to air was going to get big enough laughs from the live audience.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • As executed, the 2019 show is an emotional yet refreshingly unsentimental black comedy that snickers in the face of empowerment buzzwords like, well, healing journey.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Classic cookies come in 11 flavors like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, snicker doodle, white chocolate macadamia nut, fruity pebbles, monster and white chocolate cranberry.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 2026
Definition of snicker

Browse Nearby Words

belly-lands
belly laugh
belly laughs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belly laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20laugh. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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