HEE-HAWS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

hee-haws 1 of 2

noun

plural of hee-haw

as in chuckles

an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement the humor may have been corny and obvious, but the audience responded with hearty hee-haws

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hee-haws

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hee-haw

as in laughs

to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound those hayseeds will hee-haw at even the dumbest jokes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hee-haws

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 chuckles

Verb

His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles.

— Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
The rest of the video cuts to the pro getting his shaggy platinum blonde hair snipped and shaved down to a shorter look by the reality star, who laughs multiple times while taking charge of Appleton’s transformation.

— Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of laughs

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 giggles

Noun

Fortunately for us, there are plenty of ways to mix the two this weekend — from spa deals and rum-soaked revelry to a nostalgic hard rock show or a night of stress-busting belly laughs.

— Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026
In Broad Strokes, Cohen pairs her signature belly laughs with plenty of gut punches.

— Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 24 July 2026

Definition of belly laughs

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
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

Definition of snickers

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.

Browse Nearby Words

hee-hawing

hee-haws

heel

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“Hee-haws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hee-haws. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hee-haws

noun

verb

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