canned laughter

Idioms

Also, canned music. Prerecorded sound effects that can be played repeatedly, as in That canned laughter doesn't make his jokes any funnier, or Canned music is greatly reducing the number of musical jobs available. O. Henry had the term in his story, Cabbages and Kings (1903): “We'll export canned music to the Latins.” Canned laughter today is often used in broadcasting to simulate the reaction of a nonexistent live audience. [c. 1900]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Robinson chuckles as canned laughter from the soundboard fills the room.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Leanne says kindly, earning a few gales of canned laughter.

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2025

"All the footage was covered in Japanese graphics, it's got Japanese narration, canned laughter, sound effects, it's a cacophony of noise and graphics," she explains.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2024

Their Michael continually clicks over from reality into an imaginary TV show where saxophones and canned laughter take the sting out of his pain.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2022

It was pretty quiet except for a sudden burst of canned laughter from the neighbor’s TV and the occasional buzzing from an annoying mosquito.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023