as in chuckles
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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Recent Examples of belly laughs
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
Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly laughs
Noun
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Sending up the no-stakes frivolity of progressive Reform Judaism, characters played by Seth Rogen and Kate Berlant get some insight-free chuckles.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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LaKeith Stanfield is an easy standout as Parker’s best friend Grofield, a passionate actor who moonlights as a criminal to fund his dead-end theater company — some of the movie’s heartiest chuckles come from the joy Grofield takes in getting to ham things up as part of the heist.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nash had an unorthodox solution to Goldberg’s giggles.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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To her credit, Shannon shakes off the incipient paranoia and goes hard into the giggles at anything and everyone at the table.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To @kaitjoseph and @maxmagpie for the laughs, adventures, games and cartwheels galore.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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Thames has solid comedic chops, drawing laughs from the audience out of a twitch of an eyebrow.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belly laughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20laughs. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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