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
Listening, empathy, caring, laughing, humor, irreverence, understanding and all the little things that make a human interaction better. Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The pictures showed the family making silly faces, laughing and spending quality time together. Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 3 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 Co-headliner Chris Brown could then be seen laughing on the Jumbotron. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 July 2026 Singer Gibby Haynes paces anxiously at centerstage, laughing maniacally into a megaphone. Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026 The crowd was a rainbow mixture of colors, age groups and languages, all chatting and laughing with one another while standing above a granite rendering of Confederate leaders who would have been aghast at what their monument had become. John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026 Smiling and laughing cockily as he was led out of an NYPD precinct in cuffs, Assaidi was charged with reckless endangerment. Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
Adjective
  • But Margaret and Alice’s quick-witted machinations provide the basis for a merry outing at the theater.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • Four hundred years later, a merry band of scientists and entrepreneurs of mind-altering intoxicants are plunging even deeper into the diabolical by mechanizing DMT’s delivery via IV syringe pumps.
    Charles Moss, SPIN, 16 July 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
  • 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
  • Donna and Swift were seen hugging and giggling in their suite at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium alongside the singer's A-list pals.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • But the Velvets were sneering at the false dichotomy between those things back in the ’60s.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • The supporting figures are colorful enough, though Akkabi’s sneering chief villain arguably makes less of an impression than his subordinates.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026
Adjective
  • This is not the first time that either star of Naughty has gotten audiences into a jolly mood.
    Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
  • 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
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
  • Retreat activities included beekeeping, outdoor dinners under festive string lights, and learning about OpenAI's latest tools and products.
    Emily Forlini, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Enjoy a night of regional food and wine pairings, live entertainment and festive energy.
    Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The ‘Ginger Prince’ also scored the goal which prompted the loudest atmosphere at Old Trafford so far this century, a 25-yard screaming half-volley against Barcelona in the 2008 Champions League semi-final second leg, the only goal across both legs.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Dispatchers heard gunshots and screaming on the other end of the line.
    Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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