variants
or boffo
1
as in giggle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
an old joke dating from the days of vaudeville that's still good for a boff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the emcee told some good boffs that kept the ceremony from becoming too serious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of boff
Serena and Nate boff at a wedding reception on Gossip Girl
Two high-school students bump uglies on the bar of Michael Jordan's Steakhouse with a reception happening about two feet away.
—
Laura Beck, Cosmopolitan, 25 July 2017
Laura Beck, Cosmopolitan, 25 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boff
Noun
-
If the initial response to the State Farm spot has been positive, there are inherent risks associated with using giggles as a delivery vehicle for your brand messaging.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The fact that these two women, who have been through so much pain, can share a smile and a giggle together is kind of a miracle, just like this little baby.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.—
Yvonne Kim,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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That means having to cut jokes that don't fit his do-no-harm MO.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jernigan wore business casual and spoke with understatement, sometimes punctuated by a rueful chuckle.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last year’s offensive player of the year Saquon Barkley finished with 60 yards rushing, which garnered a chuckle out of him when learning he was beat out by Hurts.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What captured millions of TikTok users' hearts was the pure joy that can be heard in her son’s laughs as her husband shields him from the rain.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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The ratio of laughs to drama changes quite sharply, however, as Joan takes her hostages off on their journey, leading to a bond with Tyler and a lot of unexpected revelations about Joan’s background.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Early never makes fun of Maddie, never lets the audience snicker at the screen.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The carnage leads to a sigh of an epilogue that seems, without giving anything away, like a curious letdown, a cruel little snicker from Aster that doesn’t entirely satisfy.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 July 2025
Noun
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When Peanut pulled his second escape act, his owners knew where to look and handled Peanut's disappearance in a joking manner.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Multiple outlets that examined the reporting identified the claim as unverified and labeled the story a hoax; Colbert had previously made a joking on-air reference to streaming platforms but had not announced any deal with Netflix.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2025
-
The most comprehensive sally, of course, is the administration’s drastic and abrupt cut in funding by the National Institutes of Health.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps that’s why Hook’s japes hold a kernel of wisdom; the knowledge that when all else fails, finding the fun in absurd chaos (say, on a quiet London street) is an apt response to a chaotic world.—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
16 July 2025
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What follows is a Die Hard–style jape that, spoiler, ends in the entire Lonely Island being shot and killed.—
Marianne Eloise,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Boff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boff. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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