laughing 1 of 3

as in merry
indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor the satisfying comedy put us in a laughing mood for the rest of the evening

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

laughing

2 of 3

noun

laughing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of laugh

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 laughing
Noun
Keith moved into the center of the balcony, posing and laughing. Danielle Parker, CBS News, 19 June 2026 Mira and two friends moved to a low wall and huddled around their own smartwatches, whispering and laughing. Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 There was none of the usual laughing and joking. Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026 The laughing becomes infectious. Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026 Belt It Out at Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar If your idea of a great date involves a little chaos, a lot of laughing, and maybe a surprisingly decent duet, Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar is calling your name. Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026 The former competitive cheerleader said the laughing was an act of misogyny. Jay Stahl, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026 Harbour and Brown arrived together on the red carpet for the premiere of the latest season and were captured on camera laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos. Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025 The laughing and stuff wasn’t written into it. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Cameras later caught Cunningham laughing as Bonner's meltdown escalated, and both players were hit with technical fouls. Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 Gates recalled laughing at his thriftiness—but for the hedge fund mogul, every penny counts. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 June 2026 Chasing around the house and piles of kids and grown-ups laughing on the floor ensue. Parents, 23 June 2026 Shortly after his wife's post, Holland also shared a series of snaps from the press tour, including a black-and-white photo of him and Zendaya holding hands and laughing while on a rooftop in Rome. Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 The brief exchange between the pilot and controller ended with both of them laughing. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 June 2026 The camera cut to the audience, where Bezos and Preston were seen laughing side-by-side at the light roast. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 June 2026 The photo of Kyle and Amanda leaving the reunion and laughing went viral, which also set off some conspiracies among the very normal fandom of these shows. Kate Aurthur, Variety, 17 June 2026 Sketch a travel plan and record a playful lesson that helps someone learn by laughing today with humor at work. Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
Adjective
  • Like most people, Sarnoski grew up with the light hearted stories of Robin Hood and his merry men.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 20 June 2026
  • Our leads will be abandoning the mean streets of New York City for merry old London.
    Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • Karen Jesch, a PhD student at Boston College’s Canine Cognition Center, points out that human smiling is a strange behavior to begin with, and not always a happy one.
    Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 14 May 2026
  • There was a lot of nervous smiling.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The two siblings could be seen hilariously giggling during the ceremonial carriage ride from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 12 June 2026
  • After the second ace, Williams was giggling, seemingly in disbelief, at how quickly things had come together in her first match back.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Cassie’s OnlyFans adventures, for interest, were depicted with a kind of sneering derision toward the character’s poor judgement and lack of savvy.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026
  • Newman’s God is laughing at our prayers, sneering at our cries for help.
    Time, Time, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • The problem was that plenty of officials from both the government and national association wanted in on the glory, piggy-backing on the team for a jolly trip to the World Cup.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 17 June 2026
  • The Tar Heels went three-up, three-down in the sixth, but the next inning Gallaher and his teammates were having a jolly time on a clear and cool evening at Charles Schwab Field.
    Eric Olson, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • And The Rest Is Football(Netflix, YouTube) is the latest podcast to make the leap to the small screen, with former England internationals Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and the ever-chuckling Micah Richards serving up a daily helping of World Cup analysis alongside the usual chummy banter.
    Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
  • Baffert watched it all on his laptop from California, chuckling as the board showing the horse’s price flaked out momentarily.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
Adjective
  • The matches are also being projected onto some of the walls, and festive touches have been added to the taxidermy.
    Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • On Sunday, Scottish supporters charmed locals with a festive march to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox hosted Scottish Heritage Night amid an influx of World Cup fans.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • An open 911 line allowed dispatchers to hear gunshots and people screaming inside the building.
    Richard Ramos, CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • But doing grand openings and screaming out loud doesn't resonate with the brand.
    Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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