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
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2026
But many of Hoover’s fans outright rejected it for glossing over gritty details like the family struggling with finances for full focus on the teenage love story, posting viral videos of audiences laughing at melodramatic scenes in the theater.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
While the renovation story drew laughs, Donna has been making headlines for other reasons.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Verb
Zendaya looked model-esque and confident in the dress while striking poses and laughing in front of the event’s photographers, as captured in videos.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2026
But many of Hoover’s fans outright rejected it for glossing over gritty details like the family struggling with finances for full focus on the teenage love story, posting viral videos of audiences laughing at melodramatic scenes in the theater.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Kaine, who shares Poe’s birthday, responds with a laugh.
—Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
While the renovation story drew laughs, Donna has been making headlines for other reasons.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laugh
Verb
-
Little kids are especially talented at the sort of goofiness that gets everyone giggling with joy.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
13 Mar. 2026
-
As the title declares, there are traces of him everywhere, including Diem’s giggle.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And Jacob Elordi smiles and raises his fist as the hair/makeup team shout out the actor for sitting in a makeup chair for 400 hours to become the Creature.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Vandy’s star guard Tyler Tanner, who finished with 20, ran the length of the court smiling, unbothered, so often that Florida took to comforting him.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Conrad is full of wordy comic dialogue that often sings in its idiosyncrasy but also elicits little more than a chuckle.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Contreras said on Friday with a chuckle.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Say those owls are like four, five hundred yards away, and your owl hoot makes those owls take off or start hooting.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Henshall is a hoot as the tortured inspector, though the series has recently taken on a new dimension with the addition of Ashley Jensen (so brilliant in Ricky Gervais’ Hollywood satire, Extras) as the formidable DI Ruth Calder.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Its massive size even became the subject of a joke in the film High Society, in which the actress chose to wear her real-life ring instead of a prop one.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My sister got these jokes and these hands.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite the high tech projections and precise lighting and sound effects and the whole thing about people turning into rhinoceri, this a wondrously theatrical production, based on real people talking and emoting and screaming and waving their arms about.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Slayr raps, sings, and screams across this thing, producing most of it himself with frequent contributions from the producer wa.—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Chalamet, whose grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with the New York City Ballet, is not sneering at the artists.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Impossibly cool at 60 years old, Reznor is all swagger, with his soaring, sneering vocals sounding as strong as his first decade recording.—
William Earl,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The joke took a beat to land, then drew laughter from the crowd.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Still, the rich history behind the day of laughter and libations remains behind the surge of shamrocks and drunken shanties.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laugh. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
