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
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
Alba included another glimpse of her relationship with Ramirez, sharing a candid photo of the couple laughing together at an outdoor table. Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Frances Tiafoe remembers laughing with Carlos Alcaraz during a photoshoot for Evian. Tim Newcomb, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 All the host has to do is say his name — his full name, which includes his middle name, Harrington — without laughing. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 The couple didn’t shy away from PDA and were photographed kissing, hugging and laughing. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026 The record’s grainy black-and-white cover shows her with her hair—usually scraped back in her trademark ponytail, or lately a bun, another kind of disguise—loose and scattered over her laughing face. Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 31 July 2026 Also in line were members of the Plaha family of Santa Clara, who have been fans since son Nihal, 10, devoured a Stan’s doughnut at the age of 1, mother Kassey recounted, laughing. Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
Adjective
  • 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
  • Last year, which marked the first holiday season for Epic Universe, merry decor was concentrated in its Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic and Celestial Park sections.
    Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 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
  • 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
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
Adjective
  • 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
  • This is not the first time that either star of Naughty has gotten audiences into a jolly mood.
    Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • Participating restaurants will celebrate National Whataburger Day with selfie stations, balloons and other festive touches to help customers join the fun, according to the chain.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Another special-edition trip, the evening Holiday Magic Train, runs from late November through December, getting riders into the spirit of the season with cups of hot cocoa and festive music.
    Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Reuters/Juan David Duque At the airport in Pereira, videos showed pieces of ceiling falling down on travelers taking shelter and screaming, and people running through rubble in a panic.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In Pereira, further south in the coffee-producing mountains of Colombia, photos and videos on local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling onto travelers taking shelter and screaming.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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