as in laughs
someone or something that is very funny
the movie is a real knee-slapper if you are a fan of lowbrow humor
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Recent Examples of knee-slappers
On dinner tables frequented by Brussels sprouts, meatloaf is the well-meaning uncle whose knee-slappers are beloved, but not particularly hip.
—
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2025
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knee-slappers
Noun
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Not all of the jokes work, but even the grumpiest theatergoers will find plenty of laughs.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
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But the comedians also used those laughs to reveal the fundamental absurdity of violence and conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
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There are hoots and hollers from raucous tourists on Bourbon Street, for example.—
Matt Alderton,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Passengers aboard a taxiing aircraft were reportedly left horrified last month when chilling screams suddenly echoed from beneath the cabin just moments before takeoff.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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The car chase, the chokehold, his own screams at the officers to leave his dad alone.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That was a remarkable thing to hear, because Rasmussen’s church was near the center of the riots that took place after the killing of George Floyd in 2020.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Bovino has long defended the tactics used by Border Patrol agents, calling them necessary to quell riots that threatened federal law enforcement personnel.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Williams plays his colleague Gaby, best friend to his dead wife and a ball of passion and dirty jokes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
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That’s a compliment, of course, as these are very, very funny jokes.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knee-slappers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-slappers. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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