laugh Hear it!

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laugh definition

laugh (laf, läf)

intransitive verb

  1. to make the explosive sounds of the voice, and the characteristic movements of the features and body, that express mirth, amusement, ridicule, etc.
  2. to be amused
  3. to feel or suggest joyousness; appear bright and merry laughing eyes

Etymology: ME laughen < OE hleahhan, akin to Ger lachen (OHG hlahhan) < IE base *klēg-, to cry out, sound > Gr klangē, L clangor

transitive verb

  1. to express or say with laughter
  2. to bring about, effect, or cause to be by means of laughter to laugh oneself hoarse

noun

  1. the act or sound of laughing
  2. anything that provokes or is fit to provoke laughter
  3. Informal mere diversion or pleasure

Related Forms:

laugh Idioms

have the last laugh

to win after apparent defeat and discomfiture

laugh at

  1. to be amused by
  2. to make fun of; ridicule; deride
  3. to be indifferent to or contemptuous of; disregard

laugh away

to get rid of (something unpleasant or embarrassing) by laughter

laugh down

to silence or suppress by laughing

laugh up one's sleeve

to laugh secretly or inwardly

laugh off

to scorn, avoid, or reject by laughter or ridicule

laugh on the other side of one's face

or laugh out of the other side of one's face or laugh on the wrong side of one's face or laugh out of the wrong side of one's face or laugh on the other side of one's mouth or laugh out of the other side of one's mouth or laugh on the wrong side of one's mouth or laugh out of the wrong side of one's mouth
to undergo a change in mood from joy to sorrow, from amusement to annoyance, etc.

no laughing matter

a serious matter

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms laugh idiom

laugh Synonyms

laugh

n.

chuckle, giggle, titter, snicker, snigger, guffaw, chortle, cackle, fit of laughter, peal of laughter, horse laugh, belly laugh, roar, snort, crow, shout of laughter, shriek, howl, sound of merriment, mirth, amusement, convulsion, cachinnation, ha-ha*, haw-haw*, hee-haw*, ho-ho*, tee-hee*, yuk*; see also laughter, smile.

Antonyms sob, cry*, whimper.

laugh is the general word for the sounds or exhalation made in expressing mirth, amusement, etc.; chuckle implies soft laughter in low tones, expressive of mild amusement or inward satisfaction; giggle and titter both refer to a laugh consisting of a series of rapid, high-pitched sounds, suggesting embarrassment, nervousness, or silliness, but giggle often implies an uncontrollabale fit of such laughter and titter implies a half-suppressed laugh, as a laugh of mild amusement suppressed in affected politeness; snicker is used of a sly, half-suppressed laugh, as at another's discomfiture or a bawdy story; guffaw refers to loud, coarse laughter

have the last laugh

defeat (finally), beat in the end, overcome all obstacles; see win 1.

no laughing matter

serious, grave, significant, no joke*; see important 1.


laugh

v.

chuckle, chortle, guffaw, laugh off, smile away, snicker, snigger, titter, giggle, burst out (laughing), be convulsed, shriek, roar, howl, cachinnate, beam, grin, smile, smirk, roar, shout, crow, have a hemorrhage*, die laughing*, break up*, haw-haw*, split one's sides*, bust up*, roll in the aisles*, tee-hee*, snort*, be in stitches*; see also smile.

Antonyms cry*, sob*, weep.

laugh out of court

mock, deride, laugh at; see ridicule.

laugh out the other side of one's mouth

be disappointed, be sorry, have qualms about; see regret.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

laugh Usage Examples

Object

  • dove: From the Hotel to Ovira park I noted 2 new species Laughing Dove and Garden Bulbul.

Converse of object

  • stifle: She looked at it and coughed, tho it could have been a stifled laugh.

Preposition: at

  • joke: Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Adjective modifier

  • infectious: John's infectious laugh made everyone feel that he was nothing more than a mate playing a few tunes for you.

Adjective complement

  • loud: Some examples include: LOL: Which stands for " laugh out loud " .

Noun used with modifier

  • belly: Book your seats and be prepared for belly laughs!

Used with why or when

  • when: He stole the wine and did not own up and laughed when Jenny and Mikey fight about it.

Particle object: off_obj

  • rumor: The smitten couple, who recently laughed off wedding rumors, were reported to have split last year.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • along: I can only assume Ms Root was laughing along.

Preposition: like

  • hyena: A woman in tonight's audience had a laugh like a hyena and she laughed all the time.
laugh usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

laugh quotes

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.

-Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.

-Barrie, SirJ(ames) M(atthew)

Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d'e"  tre oblige¤   d'en pleurer. I am quick to laugh at everything so as not to be obliged to cry.

-Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de

laugh quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"laugh." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/laugh>

APA Style

laugh. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/laugh

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