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• laurence
  laurence

  noun

  a shimmering effect seen over a hot surface, such as a pavement or roadway, on a clear and calm day, caused by the irregular refraction of light.
• Laurence
  Laurence

  noun

  a male given name, form of Lawrence.

laurence

¹ American  

[lawr-uhns, lor-] / ˈlɔr əns, ˈlɒr- /

noun

1. Physics. a shimmering effect seen over a hot surface, such as a pavement or roadway, on a clear and calm day, caused by the irregular refraction of light.

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Laurence ² American  

[lawr-uhns, lor-] / ˈlɔr əns, ˈlɒr- /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Lawrence.

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Laurence British  

/ ˈlɒrəns /

noun

1. Margaret, full name Jean Margaret Laurence, 1926–87, Canadian novelist and short story writer; her novels include The Stone Angel (1964)

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Etymology

Origin of laurence

First recorded in 1790–1800; origin unknown

Example Sentences

Travelling in the first carriage were the Duchess of Edinburgh, wife of the Duke of Edinburgh, and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, husband of the Princess Royal.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

"It's high time we came up with a strategy," Laurence Debrincat of the Paris regional transport authority said last month, pushing for the suburban-and-rural approach.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

David Lean and Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson … a lot of the films they were in or directed really helped shape who I am today.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

He chose Airbnb, joining the hospitality startup as a finance director following Blackstone CFO Laurence Tosi, who had recently accepted an offer to be the company’s CFO.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

And, even if Laurence was trustworthy, no one was perfect.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold