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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belly laugh
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
The comedy show will feature deep knowledge through storytelling, one-liners, and ad-libs, aiming to bring smiles, chuckles, and belly laughs to the audience.
—Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 28 Nov. 2025
For over 50 years, it’s been the morning soundtrack of childhood, making its bright colors, belly laughs and sing-along tunes a cozy ritual for many.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Kids need to have belly laughs and almost pee their pants when reading—which is something that few other authors besides Seuss can do without invoking potty humor.
—Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belly laugh
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
The comedy show will feature deep knowledge through storytelling, one-liners, and ad-libs, aiming to bring smiles, chuckles, and belly laughs to the audience.
—Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 28 Nov. 2025
For over 50 years, it’s been the morning soundtrack of childhood, making its bright colors, belly laughs and sing-along tunes a cozy ritual for many.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Kids need to have belly laughs and almost pee their pants when reading—which is something that few other authors besides Seuss can do without invoking potty humor.
—Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belly laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly laugh
Noun
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After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Our goal with Scary Movie was to bring laughter back to the world.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Noun
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As Ross runs off, on to the next part of the show, commentator John Helm lets out a hearty chuckle.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
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Even Saturday Night Live’s reigning king of smarm, Colin Jost, playing a henpecked husband, got some chuckles out of me.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Noun
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These days, fear and absurdity walk hand in hand, and anyone who’s scrolled a news feed knows how quickly abject terror can morph into cathartic giggles.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
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One highlight of this tenure was his descent into a fit of giggles while interviewing Carol Channing.—
Mark Kennedy,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The fallout of that inquiry—to which Joe and Angela gamely acquiesce—generates its share of laughs, though our amusement comes at a cost.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
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There are definitely laughs in Maddie’s Secret, but the point of the movie is almost to get beyond them, to the place where naive hokum could yield moments of inexplicable resonance.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
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The grown-ups in the audience snicker.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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There were snickers from some of the other students, including a tall and lank-haired kid whose name Adele didn’t know.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belly laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20laugh. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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