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
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 The laughing and stuff wasn’t written into it. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
There are companies creating life-like avatars that can fill in for you in virtual meetings, nodding at the right time and laughing when someone tells a joke. William Arruda, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 On April 24, 2022, the model shared a cute candid of themselves on Instagram, leaning into one another and laughing. Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 Imagine tall trees across the lake, a calm breeze, children laughing in the distance, the scent of your old canvas tent – there’s no forgetting the sights, sounds, smells and feel of summer camp. Derek H. Alderman, The Conversation, 26 June 2026 Paul’s confidence was growing, and the left tackle seemingly responded to his challengers by laughing at their efforts in a mocking manner. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026 Everyone is singing, talking, laughing, enjoying food. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 June 2026 Some extras on set were laughing. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 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
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
  • Humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways since branching off the evolutionary tree, a new study suggests.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
  • The two brothers were spotted giggling during a ceremonial carriage ride.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 12 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 Wharf also presents diverse choices, from Willowsong's local farm-to-table focus to Tiki TNT's festive rum bar, showcasing the capital's rich and varied gastronomic landscape.
    Lanee Lee, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • This dip set features glittery red and green nails, accented with white and gold accents for a festive finish.
    Amanda Le, InStyle, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • The couple’s relationship began with a friendship bracelet and a podcast shout-out in July 2023, and by September Swift was screaming profanities in support of her new favorite football player.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 30 June 2026
  • As Rayan began screaming, al-Ajeen, whose family has long farmed in the area, picked up his son and began walking again.
    Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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