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

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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

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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!

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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
Just as the geeky navel-gazing threatens to become tedious, a joke or a wink keeps the audience laughing and focused on the fantastical story Schoenbrun actually wants to tell—which isn’t a genuine slasher at all. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026 There’s a lot of laughing and screaming [performance] notes across the open water. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026 My mom pulled off something incredible by facilitating this surprise, this gift, and Justin and I started laughing out of pure bliss. — Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026 While sharing Shelton’s reply, Rodman couldn’t stop herself from laughing at her now-boyfriend. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 And for those of you who’ve spent many happy hours laughing at the Road Runner getting the better of his fanatical pursuer, you’ll be touched to discover that the two have a mutual respect and are even — gasp — friends. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 The harassment from teammates began after that, per the lawsuit, and included exclusion from team meetings, refusal to acknowledge her presence, laughing at her and threatening her only friend not to hang out with her. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The cover photo saw her in a tiny tiger print string bikini complete with metallic accents, while another slide showed Alba and Ramirez laughing over a cup of coffee. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 12 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
  1. merry
  2. smiling
  3. giggling
  4. sneering
  5. jolly
  6. chuckling
  7. festive
  8. screaming
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
Definition of merry
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
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
  • 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
Definition of chuckling
Adjective
  • Some come for the high-octane DJs at Shellona or the all-day revelry of Nikki Beach; others swear by the legendary glamour of Le Club 55 or the festive energy of Casa Amor.
    — Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • To make the moment more festive, the hospital room was decorated with balloons and flowers, along with a cake.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of festive
Verb
  • Children in school uniforms are then seen screaming and rushing for an exit.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a lot of laughing and screaming [performance] notes across the open water.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on laughing

Nglish: Translation of laughing for Spanish Speakers

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