1
as in giggles
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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!
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hoots
someone or something that is very funny
that new sitcom is a laugh
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in jokes
something said or done to cause laughter
the film comedy had a good laugh in just about every scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of laughs
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In one snap, the foursome laughs as Crown Prince Christian pretends to grab his younger brother's neck.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Reflecting on this moment, Mering laughs.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
Hayden, working the grill behind her husband, laughs and shakes her head with a slight eye roll the way only a loving wife can.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
Henry takes in Link, who at this point is a teenager and laughs him off.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Now a senior, Kleemann just laughs at the idea.
—Sam Brief, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
The remark drew a mix of gasps, murmurs and laughs from others in the room.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
And Newton kept the crowd going with screams and laughs through tonight’s screening, sitting right behind her co-star Shawn Hatosy.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
While at my pool cabana, our private butler even connected us to another like-minded visiting family, which resulted in unexpectedly great conversation and laughs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2026
The way Spaeny balances her character’s ferocity and terror create some of the season’s heartiest laughs and most moving revelations.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Marco Calvani gets laughs as Anna’s frequent cab driver, Marco; Stella Pecollo is a scene stealer as Matteo’s spicy aunt; and Aziza Scott is hilarious as Anna’s friend as Claire, Anna’s friend back home, who tries to be the voice of reason in the situation.
—Adam Graham, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
The pair shook hands and shared some laughs with those waiting in line to see them.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
But ultimately, Neville builds his entire film around the fact that Lorne is hiding in plain sight, generating laughs about this quirky Oz-like character.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
The laughs have to seem forced on unwilling characters by the logic of events.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Jane tries to give it a bit of meta humor, milking laughs from throwing money at Juicy and doing little jazz hands.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
One can see why wrestling appealed to him—the crowd is everything, the rules mean nothing, and the referees are so feckless that they often get knocked out and everyone laughs.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In one snap, the foursome laughs as Crown Prince Christian pretends to grab his younger brother's neck.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Reflecting on this moment, Mering laughs.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
Hayden, working the grill behind her husband, laughs and shakes her head with a slight eye roll the way only a loving wife can.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
Henry takes in Link, who at this point is a teenager and laughs him off.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Now a senior, Kleemann just laughs at the idea.
—Sam Brief, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
The remark drew a mix of gasps, murmurs and laughs from others in the room.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
And Newton kept the crowd going with screams and laughs through tonight’s screening, sitting right behind her co-star Shawn Hatosy.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Wonder even did an impression of Murphy’s impression of him, which received big laughs from the crowd.
—John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
While at my pool cabana, our private butler even connected us to another like-minded visiting family, which resulted in unexpectedly great conversation and laughs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2026
The way Spaeny balances her character’s ferocity and terror create some of the season’s heartiest laughs and most moving revelations.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Marco Calvani gets laughs as Anna’s frequent cab driver, Marco; Stella Pecollo is a scene stealer as Matteo’s spicy aunt; and Aziza Scott is hilarious as Anna’s friend as Claire, Anna’s friend back home, who tries to be the voice of reason in the situation.
—Adam Graham, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
The pair shook hands and shared some laughs with those waiting in line to see them.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
But ultimately, Neville builds his entire film around the fact that Lorne is hiding in plain sight, generating laughs about this quirky Oz-like character.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
The laughs have to seem forced on unwilling characters by the logic of events.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Jane tries to give it a bit of meta humor, milking laughs from throwing money at Juicy and doing little jazz hands.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughs
Verb
-
Her daughter giggles as she's swung throughout the air, until Moore realizes that something isn't quite right.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The teaser video that followed showed a device straight out of a sci-fi film, something between Wall-E and BB-8, with a camera that giggles and swivels on command.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Chloe Cherry smiles for the camera and pops her hip in a black gown with a sheer panel at the premiere of Netflix's Roommates in Los Angeles.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Melton channels that indecision into a physicality that feels like a child being told to sit still and smiles that increasingly don’t reach his eyes.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And what begins as a clever, high-concept joke doesn’t always build beyond a steady stream of chuckles.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The line was met with one or two chuckles from the hearing room, which was at capacity.—
Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,Alex Harring,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The pages restate themes and jokes, the same words on many pages, each with little iterations.—
Adam Moss,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Algerio screams at the suspect.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
He is obsessed with gold, because gold screams money to the masses.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile her old-school Communist grandmother sneers at the tactics her Red Diaper daughter employed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Jacob sneers, but doesn’t even wait for his son to answer.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Wells, hidden in a tiny video-village setup inside one of the set’s curtained exam rooms, grins at the monitor and turns around to give Einesman a thumbs-up.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Adam Brody grins from ear to ear while supporting Nobody Wants This at the 2026 PaleyFest in Los Angeles on April 8.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughs. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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