1
as in to giggle
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to smile
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
you're going to try out for the football team? Don't make me laugh!
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in chuckle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
the child's frown turned into a laugh when he saw the clown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the film comedy had a good laugh in just about every scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 laugh
Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Fairplay said that, ultimately, his family laughed about it.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Clark and Indiana would get the last laugh and later finished off the win, 87-78.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Verb
Incredibly, everyone except the blond kid was laughing.
—Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Fairplay said that, ultimately, his family laughed about it.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Noun
While Firstman’s film got big laughs from the audience, All of a Sudden is a much more somber tale.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Clark and Indiana would get the last laugh and later finished off the win, 87-78.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laugh
Verb
-
There’s a particularly tragic scene where Natalia, lured on holiday by Elsa, spots a small child innocently giggling at the table across from her at dinner.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
Depending on what your child does, a Fingerling might blink, giggle, shake its head, snort or even burp.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Rafa smiles and picks up another dinosaur by its tail.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
In one image from the early years, Denise and Mohamed are posing in the garden with their kids, while Djena is off to the side, smiling at the camera, in the middle of doing what looks like yard work.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
In a video from Reuters, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart's comment and said something unintelligible before turning to shake hands with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who also got a chuckle out of the exchange.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
The two admit now – Adrianne with a chuckle and DeVaux through tears – that their sisterly relationship suffered for a while, as DeVaux tried to square peg her sister.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Take The Kids To Tweetsie This nostalgic, Wild-West theme park is fun for younger kids and a hoot for adults, too.—
Leigh Ann Henion,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
Aziza Scott is a hoot as Anna’s pregnant best friend/real-talk Greek chorus of sorts, and Coiro herself doles out zingers as a random tourist on a bus.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Just ask Harris, whose handling of the border under Biden became a running joke in politics.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
Now, if there’s some people telling these jokes at a church service, that would be one thing.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
One morning in 2013, before the sun had risen, Hiba and Ibrahim heard gunshots and screams.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Also, there was an element of danger, and doing a scene that is really arduous, achieving an emotional peak for an amount of time and performing physical acts and screaming [about] a matter of life and death.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Newman’s God is laughing at our prayers, sneering at our cries for help.—
Time,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
But there’s also a kind of sneering conventional wisdom toward Vance that doesn’t seem to have much basis in political reality.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The laughter continued through many of the movie’s insanely over-the-top slasher sequences that leave the majority of actors drenched in blood.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Friends of friends will almost inevitably get along, new faces lead to new conversations, and old friends lead to a lot of laughter.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laugh. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
