BELLY LAUGH Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

belly laugh

noun

Definition of belly laugh

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

Relevance

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

Noun

The live show’s audience, filled with women in floral maxidresses and bearded men who probably host their own podcasts, was more than ready for love and laughter.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
After failing to suppress her laughter, Brattin sunk to the floor as another host continued the segment on the live broadcast.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of laughter

Noun

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
And while most of the film is unrelentingly grim, its few stabs at dark humor — most notably the punchlines about the grandmother’s faulty memory — didn’t garner a chuckle from me.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Definition of chuckle

Noun

Meanwhile, donning night-vision giggles, Knoxville gleefully attacks them with trash can lids and tasers.

— Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
At one moment, the young prince glances down with his doe eyes before looking shyly off to the side at his mom and breaking out into a giggle.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of giggle

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

Style

“Belly laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20laugh. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of belly laugh

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

circumscribe

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes