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.
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Recent Examples of laugh
Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
No Soil Tests Hunting show host Jason Say laughs at the idea that hunters don’t take soil samples.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2025
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2025
Comedian Shuler King also brought the laughs with material about his day job as a mortician.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Verb
Little did the Hollywood celebrity know that he was being tested for his racing abilities, which only ended with Hamilton laughing out loud.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
No Soil Tests Hunting show host Jason Say laughs at the idea that hunters don’t take soil samples.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2025
Noun
Chiefs guard Trey Smith joined the New Heights podcast and shared a lot of laughs with co-hosts Travis and Jason Kelce.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2025
Comedian Shuler King also brought the laughs with material about his day job as a mortician.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laugh
Verb
-
In the pictures, the pair enjoy an intimate moment on a bench overlooking the water, embracing and giggling.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
7 July 2025
-
Over the course of Youssef’s set, reminders of Mamdani’s victory and the memory that something unexpected — something possibly quite good — had happened in this city had the audience giggling and roaring in equal measure, like laughing gas was being pumped through the room.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
Her parents' love story began with a bold move: while on a business trip to Charlotte, Barry walked up to Rogers' mother's desk, took a sip from her half-coffee, half-hot-chocolate drink, and smiled.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
-
Sabbath shared a candid snap from rehearsals last week in which Ward, Butler and Osbourne were caught smiling and waving at the camera from a couch.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
This Would Work' by Ann Garvin This book is an absolute hoot.—
Amy Poeppel,
People.com,
11 June 2025
-
Reading about being a turtle, on the other hand, is kind of a hoot.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
She was raised in a society—a West Indian society—that did not put much of a premium on women’s bodies, where any kind of intimacy was a joke.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
And yet the world is too driven by algorithms, too fragmented in its tastes, to ever be on the same page again and get the same jokes.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
The Vermont lawmaker chuckled and brushed off the comment while looking down.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
24 June 2025
-
Some of my peers have chuckled knowingly and offered congratulations.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
Both were sneered at by middle-class reviewers and adored by the public.—
Graham Robb,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2025
-
Written with the sneering disaffection of an ex-believer, the hundred-and-twenty-thousand-word letter argued that egalitarianism, far from improving the world, was actually responsible for most of its ills.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Bailey could be seen mouthing something to the host, and before turning around as instructed, instead went in for a kiss, sending the audience into howls of laughter and applause.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
-
In Ukraine's legendary port city, the salty breeze carried the splashing and laughter of a carefree summer.—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
The rest of the group is rendered by capable performers, but their dialogue consists of rote exposition and the occasional scream, as pterodactyls dive-bomb them and T. rexes snap in their faces.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
-
Neighbors heard her screams and called for an ambulance.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
The Enquirer,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laugh. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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