laughing 1 of 3

adjective

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

laughing

2 of 3

noun

as in smiling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

laughing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of laugh
1
as in giggling
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneering
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

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
The thought of coworkers open-mouthed laughing is enough to jar anyone awake. — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 July 2026 A lot of shouting, a lot of laughing, a lot of talk. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 June 2026 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 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
Verb
Being pelted on the world’s stage with the modern equivalent of rotten tomatoes – memes and scathing online posts – hasn't kept the dancer, born Rachael Gunn, from laughing. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Indeed, at lunch, instead of separating into groups to eat, all 16 participants form one mega table and spend the half-hour joking and laughing together. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 The two ended up walking away laughing, and Luiz’s grin rode right into the next conversation, drill or interaction with anyone on the field. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026 As Buddy Crane, a buffoonish, overconfident opposing counsel who works in house for Acme, John Cena relishes his role just as much as Buddy relishes laughing at Kevin. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 And for us, that meant falling in love with her music and laughing at her wit along the way. — Corey Dubrowa, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 In her post, Kaling could be seen posing on the streets of New York City with the show’s crew, documenting the cast’s visit to Good Morning America and laughing on set. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 The Braves spent their afternoon with Little League baseball players, sliding down hills and laughing alongside children who will remember Sunday for the rest of their lives. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Related In one clip, she and Turner can be seen laughing together as the singer makes a basketball shot, while other photos show the couple spending time immersed in lush flower fields. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
  1. merry
  2. smiling
  3. giggling
  4. sneering
  5. jolly
  6. chuckling
  7. festive
  8. screaming
Adjective
  • Rounding up his merry men of Sherwood Forest, and his Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), Robin goes about resisting John’s rule and securing Richard’s throne.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Fortune’s intrepid tech editor, Alexei Oreskovic, and his merry band of reporters will carry on in my absence.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of merry
Noun
  • The boos were more scattered and barely audible amidst the applause and cheers, which grew louder when the ballpark’s video boards showed the 2018 champ smiling, clapping, and waving from the visitors’ dugout.
    — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of smiling
Verb
  • Everyone is giggling about his vocabulary, but they’re still charmed.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On a recent afternoon outside the temple in central Kerala, Raman stood motionless as two children played, giggling and hugging its trunk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of giggling
Verb
  • If traditional noir drew much of its energy from sneering with style at America’s sunny master narratives, those narratives have largely broken down, as has the homogenous mass-media ecosystem that endlessly recirculated them.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But the Velvets were sneering at the false dichotomy between those things back in the ’60s.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of sneering
Adjective
  • Both his suggestion and the jolly appreciation seem out of tune with the situation ‘far from home’, which may be a military manoeuvre involving mock battles and bayonet practice, or a preparation for actual combat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This plush captures its jolly mood with a big smile and a grinning sun across its belly (complete with sunglasses).
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of jolly
Verb
  • Cubs pitcher David Peterson was coming out of the bullpen to pitch in the eighth inning after the fight took place, and the umpires were chuckling.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In a New York Times interview, producer Tyran Donaldson, who has also worked with SZA, recalled chuckling at listening to the Diamonds work with the instrument.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
Definition of chuckling
Adjective
  • Christie’s estimates the large, rare tempera and gouache painting of a festive, folkloric Russian scene, which Kandinsky made in Paris, will fetch over $30 million.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Join the always festive crowd for strong, salty margaritas and classics like enchiladas and chiles rellenos, and mariachi on Friday and Saturday nights and all day Sunday.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of festive
Verb
  • For now, however, the company that produces Flock cameras is holding off on technology that can register screaming and perhaps even speech.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Harry Styles didn’t need to name-drop Taylor Swift to get his Madison Square Garden crowd screaming.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of screaming

Browse Nearby Words

laughers
laughing
laughing (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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