LAUGHS Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

laughs 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of laugh

as in giggles

to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in smiles

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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laughs

2 of 2

noun

plural of laugh

as in chuckles

an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement the child's frown turned into a laugh when he saw the clown

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hoots

someone or something that is very funny that new sitcom is a laugh

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in jokes

something said or done to cause laughter the film comedy had a good laugh in just about every scene

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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 laughs

Verb

We’ve been called sickos in the press for this game [laughs]. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 Rubin laughs—they’d even leave some of the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion on her face. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 A couple of audience members nervously crack jokes to break the tension, but no one laughs. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026 When asked whether his dog has a favorite Bush song, Rossdale laughs before providing a humorous answer. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026 His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The rest of the video cuts to the pro getting his shaggy platinum blonde hair snipped and shaved down to a shorter look by the reality star, who laughs multiple times while taking charge of Appleton’s transformation. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026 The friend laughs and dips her head toward her hand on the bar in delight. — Liz Johnson, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Lacy laughs about it now, as a consequence of just how haywire that time was — for him, and everyone. — Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Noun

But though a large language model telling you to put glue on pizza might mean nothing more than a few laughs—not all uses of AI are so low stakes. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026 Additionally, Richard Kind as the mayor’s put-upon press secretary also generates laughs. — Miles Beller, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026 On the set of Ryan Murphy’s retelling of that story, however, his cast managed to get in lots of laughs. — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026 These Instagram or TikTok clips are quick, easy, and in a scroll-world an eight-second bite can produce laughs. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026 Vernon Stockton / Getty Images Councilman Kris Harsh, who represents Ward 4 on the city's nonpartisan council, gave a speech during the meeting supporting the resolution, which drew laughs from attendees at times and a round of applause afterward. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 Last night's Emmy Awards featured surprise cameos, laughs and heart-warming moments. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 Even a slender 71 minutes is a long time to stay in such a narrow comic lane, but the laughs arrive continuously until the end and the larger conceptual framework is airtight. — Vadim Rizov, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Again, the things of life, the ups and downs, the laughs and the tears — this is Mike Leigh at his most humane and heartwarming in a film that seems to be about nothing really, but the universal truth of it all is about everything. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughs

Verb

But Alexca, a bubbly toddler who giggles and runs about, has conquered her grandmother’s heart.

— Julie Watson, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Herbert then grabs Beer's face and pulls her in for a kiss as the singer giggles.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026

Definition of giggles

Verb

Hadid smiles wickedly at the memory of her team presenting to her huge poster boards plastered with images of herself every time she had been photographed in jeans through the years.

— Max Berlinger, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2026
Neptune, our planet of imagination, smiles upon Pluto, the planet of transformation.

— Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of smiles

Noun

Wickersham says, with only the slightest of chuckles, that every quarterback is something of a sociopath and likens them to politicians in the middle of a race.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Brian Leonard’s smartly funny ode to his difficult daughter — a child whose behavior was so problematic, the family cycled through 28 therapists — offers plenty of chuckles, even with key questions left unanswered.

— Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of chuckles

Noun

Church bells, owl hoots and sprinklers keeping the grass hydrated during this dry spell fill the space between the occasional motor trudging along a main road devoid of commotion.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles.

— Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of hoots

Noun

The set includes a variety of items, including a new book entitled Slappy’s Book of Pranks, which includes directions for over 20 different pranks, Slappy trivia, a history of pranking, jokes and an introduction by Stine himself.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Beyond jokes, Pitt plays a military veteran in the movie, which is out on September 25.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of jokes

Verb

Standing in the backyard of a house situated near a neighboring golf course, rider screams are certainly audible, and residents said the consistency of them is destroying their quality of life.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
There were hugs and high fives, and jubilant screams from a winning locker room could be heard clearly in the adjacent news conference room and by anyone walking through the hallway.

— Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of screams

Verb

In a third photo pulled up on a phone, a young Bruce Aiken grins at the camera in his green park service uniform while working to keep the Roaring Springs pumphouse running.

— Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Schoenaerts menacingly grins his way through the movie, with appealingly bulging eyes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026

Definition of grins

Browse Nearby Words

laugh off

laughs

laughs (at)

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Style

“Laughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughs. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of laughs

verb

noun

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